Sudan says 3,800 bodies buried in Khartoum since fighting ended

July 5, 2025 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese authorities have recovered and buried 3,800 bodies found in the streets and homes of the capital Khartoum since the army recaptured the city from paramilitary forces, the head of the forensic authority said on Saturday.

During months of intense urban warfare, many residents were trapped by the violence and unable to reach cemeteries, forcing them to bury the dead in makeshift graves in houses and public squares.

Hisham Zain al-Abidin, head of the Forensic Medicine Authority, said in a press statement that teams were dispatched after the army declared it had taken full control of Khartoum state on May 21. He said reports of bodies came from homes, residential areas, hospitals, and government buildings.

Authorities have also discovered hundreds of mass graves in Khartoum, according to the statement. It is believed that many of the victims were subject to enforced disappearances and killings by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) during their control of the city.

A committee that includes forensic, security, and local officials has been formed to survey gravesites in the old neighbourhoods of Omdurman, part of the wider capital area, Zain al-Abidin said.

The health ministry also used the statement to address a recent controversy, denying allegations that a forensic official had demanded four million Sudanese pounds from a woman to transport her son’s body for burial.

The ministry, which said that the authority faced sharp criticism over the claim, reiterated that the service is provided free of charge.