Yale lab confirms RSF arson attacks on North Darfur villages

July 17, 2026 (UM BARU) – Arson attacks consistent with ground assaults have damaged at least four rural communities in the Um Baru locality of North Darfur, according to satellite imagery released by a Yale University research group.

The Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) confirmed that the communities of Hazan Orschi, Quarbara, Um Baru, and Abu Leha were targeted between June 12 and July 7, 2026.

The report states that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched the attacks, which featured widespread razing, looting, and targeted destruction of civilian infrastructure.

Satellite analysis revealed that local markets were intentionally targeted in three of the four communities. Open-source reports corroborated that RSF fighters stole livestock and plundered vital supplies during the market raids.

Local media and monitoring groups reported that at least seven people were killed in the assault on Hazan Orschi around June 14, while an attack on Qarbara in early July left nine civilians dead, including women and elderly residents.

The affected region, known as Dar Zaghawa, is historically home to the Zaghawa ethnic community and houses thousands of internally displaced persons who previously fled mass killings in El-Fasher and the Zamzam camp.

The humanitarian situation in the area has grown critical, as a famine alert issued in February 2026 noted that acute malnutrition levels in Um Baru had already crossed the famine threshold.

According to the International Organization for Migration, the violence has displaced more than 5,800 people across the locality, leaving many stranded in nearby hills and forests without adequate access to food or drinking water.

Control of the area remains heavily contested, with Sudanese Joint Forces reportedly pushing back to recapture the Orschi reservoir and surrounding areas from the RSF by mid-July.