CIR has verified footage showing the looting of health facilities in Zalingei, Central Darfur on 27 June 2023.
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According to the City Resistance Committees, the hospital of Zalingei was looted by the RSF and militia forces on or around 27 June 2023. The hospital, which is the main referral hospital in the region, was operational before the looting, despite lack of medicine and staff (reported by Dabanga Sudan). Imagery posted by Darfur24 News shows the looting of the hospital and several buildings on the hospital’s premises (Figure 1 and 2).
Figure 1: Images taken within the premises of the Zalingei Hospital
(source: Darfur24 News) [12.904056,23.475479]
Figure 2: Images taken within the premises of the Zalingei Hospital.
(source: Darfur24 News) [12.904056,23.475479]
CIR verified one of the images as showing the outside of the hospital buildings (Figure 3). Although CIR could not verify the images of the interior of the hospital beyond reasonable doubt, the images show many similarities with other imagery from the hospital, such as windows, floor tiles, facades, and roofs.
Figure 3: One of the images posted of the Zalingei hospital (left) next to satellite imagery of the hospital premises (right). (Source: Darfur24 News and Google Maps/Airbus) [12.904056,23.475479]
CIR also noted slight changes in satellite images in places where solar panels were visible in the hospital’s premises before 27 June 23, suggesting that the solar panels were removed. A report by Radio Dabanga confirms that solar generators were stolen from the hospital. Theft of solar panels was also observed at the World Food Programme (WFP) facility in El Obeid.
The alleged RSF attack reportedly resulted in more destruction and looting in Zalingei. CIR logged reports from social media users with a track record of reliable reporting that government buildings, multiple humanitarian organisations, warehouses, and markets were looted or destroyed. We have not seen any further imagery of these incidents to verify and are currently still investigating claims.