New satellite images show bomb craters, burned villages in Darfur’s Jebel Marra

New satellite imagery shows more than 300 burned houses in villages bombed by the Sudanese Air Force and attacked by government-backed militias in Darfur’s East Jebel Marra last week. The images from the Satellite Sentinel Project (SSP), published today (27 March), confirmed the attacks on the villages Dolma, Konjara, Korofala, Unjara, Hemeda, and Sendingo in North Darfur. The project conducted monitoring of these areas on 21 March on the basis of reports by the United Nations and Radio Dabanga. Burned huts The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacked Dolma, southwest of state capital El Fasher, among other villages, on 15 March. The satellite images show 95 burned huts in the south-central part of Dolma, after “militia troops in 300 vehicles loaded with various weapons plundered the villages”, according to a Radio Dabanga listener. 126 huts in the centre of Hemeda, close to Dolma, are visibly burned to the ground on the satellite images. The SSP images also confirmed earlier reports of the militias’ attacks on Konjara, 53 km west-southwest of El Fasher, on the same day. 57 huts were destroyed in the western part of the village, and 20 huts in the nearby Unjara. Indiscriminate bombing After the ground attacks on these villages, the Sudanese Air Force bombed Korofala (about 10 km north of Dolma) on 16 March. Radio Dabanga reported that Nimra, Dali, and Jebel Dango were hit on that day as well. Ten burned huts, and five bomb craters are seen on images of Korofala, “situated in a linear pattern, spaced consistently apart”, which indicates an indiscriminate multi-munitions air strike, according to the SSP. The bombardments in this area lasted for at least three consecutive days, according to local sources. On 18 March, Konjara was also bombed after the ground attacks three days earlier, as the satellite images show several bomb craters around the perimeter of the town. Three bomb craters are visible on images of Sendingo, 3 km west of Konjara. ‘Ground attacks pose further threats’ “The people of East Jebel Marra have withstood years of indiscriminate aerial bombardments and a blockade on humanitarian aid”, the SSP concludes in the ‘Bombed and burned: Darfuri civilians flee East Jebel Marra en masse’ report from today. Referring to the RSF, “Janjaweed forces now further threaten the survival of the most vulnerable people in this area.” The project regularly conducts monitoring of Sudan and South Sudan to assess the current human security situation and identify potential threats to civilians.See below for photos extracted from satsentinel.org Photo: Hemeda’s burned centre, on a satellite image of 21 March, after being attacked last week (SSP) Related:Musa Hilal ‘establishes administration’ in North Darfur (19 March 2014) Darfur’s East Jebel Marra bombarded again; thousands displaced (18 March 2014)Photos of craters proof air raids in South Kordofan (6 December 2014)