El Geneina Investigation Geospatial Data

As part of an investigation into the events that unfolded in El Geneina, West Darfur, Sudan in 2023, Human Rights Watch is publishing data that helped inform the report.

Unable to conduct research in El Geneina, we relied on testimonies from survivors and witnesses displaced in Chad, Kenya, South Sudan, and Uganda, analyzed and verified more than 110 photographs and videos, analyzed satellite imagery and conducted a damage assessment of the city.

This archive contains the geospatial data produced by Human Rights Watch in the form of shapefiles.

The archive is made available as a courtesy by Human Rights Watch solely for informational purposes to support your own personal or organizational non-commercial and internal research efforts. Your access to and use of the archive is subject to these terms.

1. Fire damage assessment

File: sdn_el_geneina_fire_damage_assessment

Human Rights Watch carried out an extensive fire damage assessment of El Geneina using satellite imagery from several dates between April 19, 2023 and November 8, 2023. For each area in the file provided, the fire damage occurred sometime between the mindate field and the maxdate field which correspond to the date of the satellite imageries used.

2. Demolished areas

File: sdn_el_geneina_demolition_8NOV2023

Large residential areas in El Geneina have been completely demolished since April 2023. The file contains the affected areas where all buildings have been razed based on an analysis of satellite imagery from November 8, 2023.

3. Dismantled areas

File: sdn_el_geneina_dismantling_8NOV2023

Other areas have been largely dismantled since April 2023. The file contains the affected areas where the rooftops have been removed on the majority of buildings based on an analysis of satellite imagery from November 8, 2023.

4. El Geneina neighborhoods

File: sdn_el_geneina_neighborhoods_centroids

Human Rights Watch compiled a list of neighborhoods in El Geneina using information from open sources (Openstreetmap, Wikimapia, Google Maps) and testimonies with witnesses knowledgeable about the city layout. The locations provided here should still be considered as the approximate center of the neighborhoods as the exact boundaries of one in relation to the other are vague.

5. Key locations

File: sdn_el_geneina_key_locations

A curated list of key locations in El Geneina where the main events recounted in the report occurred.