Sudan Crisis: Image Shows Dozens of Bodies Dumped in Irrigation Canals Amid Ethnic Purge

A harrowing image showing dozens of bodies strewn through irrigation canals in central Sudan has become one of the starkest visual symbols yet of the country's spiralling civil war, as investigators warn the killings point to an ethnically targeted purge carried out during recent fighting.

The image, revealed as part of a mid-December 2025 investigation by CNN in collaboration with Lighthouse Reports and human rights researchers, captures what experts say is evidence of mass executions and deliberate efforts to conceal the dead.

The findings arrive as Sudan's war enters its third year and deepens into what the United Nations has described as the world's largest humanitarian and displacement crisis.

Bodies Hidden in Canals After Army Advance

The investigation focuses on the Sudanese Armed Forces' January 2025 campaign to recapture Al Jazira state and its capital, Wad Madani, from the RSF. According to satellite images reviewed by researchers, dozens of bodies became visible in irrigation canals near villages such as Bika when water levels dropped months later, revealing what had been submerged.

Whistleblowers, including individuals identified as Sudanese military intelligence officers, told investigators that the killings targeted non-Arab communities known locally as 'Kanabi' — seasonal farm workers originally from Darfur, Kordofan, and South Sudan.

These groups were accused of collaborating with the RSF, a claim survivors say was used to justify executions, village burnings, and mass arrests.

Investigators documented at least 39 villages that were burned during the offensive, along with multiple execution sites, including what witnesses described as the 'Police Bridge massacre.'

Videos geolocated by researchers, along with survivor accounts, supported claims that bodies were deliberately disposed of in canals and mass graves to erase evidence.

UN investigators cited in the report described the findings as 'strongly indicative of genocide on ethnic grounds,' underscoring that abuses are being attributed not only to the RSF, long accused of atrocities in Darfur, but also to Sudan's national army and allied militias.

A War Marked by Atrocities on All Sides

Sudan's civil war erupted in April 2023 after a power struggle between the army, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. Since then, the conflict has fractured the country, with the RSF largely controlling western regions such as Darfur, while the army holds parts of the east and centre.

As of December 2025, estimates suggest more than 150,000 people have been killed, though the true number may be far higher. More than 12 million people have been forced from their homes, including over 4 million refugees who have fled to neighbouring countries. Roughly 30 million Sudanese now require humanitarian assistance.

Both sides have been accused of systematic abuses, including ethnic targeting, sexual violence, recruitment of children, and blocking aid deliveries.

Recent reports have also accused the RSF of burning or burying bodies to conceal mass killings in Darfur, while army drone strikes have been linked to civilian deaths and attacks on peacekeepers.

Humanitarian System Near Collapse

The revelations come amid warnings that Sudan's humanitarian response is approaching collapse.

The UN has confirmed famine conditions in multiple areas, including parts of Darfur and South Kordofan, with at least 21 million people facing acute food insecurity. Cholera outbreaks have been reported, hospitals and schools have been destroyed or occupied, and aid agencies say access to civilians remains severely restricted by violence and bureaucratic barriers.

As satellite images of bodies in irrigation canals circulate globally, investigators say they offer grim confirmation of what survivors have long described as a war.