Sudan's Genocide Leaves Thousands Buried in Unmarked Graves: AP

By Al Mayadeen English

Source: Associated Press

22 May 2026 19:23

Three years of war in Sudan have left more than 8,000 people missing, with tens of thousands buried in unmarked graves. Families search endlessly for answers, enduring years of agonizing uncertainty.

More than 8,000 people have disappeared during three years of genocide in Sudan, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross, as families endure the agony of not knowing whether their loved ones are alive or dead, with many believed to lie in unmarked graves across the capital, Khartoum.

Fahmy al‑Fateh, a 38‑year‑old farmer and merchant, joined the Sudanese army when the war began. One morning last January, he left his home before sunrise to help retake the capital from the UAE-backed Rapid Support Forces. He called his wife, Azaher Abdallah, to say he was finished for the day and would stop at the market on his way back. He never arrived.

Abdallah has since searched hospitals, morgues and army units, but no trace of her husband has been found. His three‑year‑old son now shouts at every passing motorcycle, believing his father might be riding it.

"He was the most precious thing in my life," Abdallah told the Associated Press, sobbing into her hands. "I would feel more at peace if I knew something. It's better than not knowing what happened to him, whether he's alive or dead."

Tens of thousands buried in makeshift graves

In Khartoum state, authorities have moved nearly 30,000 bodies that had been hastily buried near houses, in sports fields and beside roads while fighting raged. About 10 percent of those remains are unidentified.

Soccer fields and cemeteries are overflowing with the dead, the Associated Press reported after a tour of the capital.

Hisham Zienalabdien, director general of the forensic medicine department for Khartoum state, said officials are saving DNA samples from unidentified bodies in the hope of someday matching them with relatives.

'I haven't lost faith in finding you'

Sulafa Mustafa's son, 18‑year‑old Suleiman Abdalsid, went to a friend's house near Khartoum two years ago and never came home. She has walked the streets under shelling, knocked on countless doors, visited hospitals and prisons, and shown strangers his photograph. She even rented a microphone to call out his name.

"I haven't lost faith in finding you," she said, covering her face with her hands.

The ICRC told the AP that it has resolved more than 1,000 cases of missing persons but declined to say how many were found alive. Psychologists warn that such "ambiguous loss" can cause years of profound distress for families.

Nathalie Nyamukeba, a psychologist with the ICRC, said: "Families of missing persons experience additional layers of vulnerabilities due to hostilities, displacement and ambiguous loss."

A delayed burial adds to the pain

For Abubakar Alswai, the anguish was different. He waited over a year to move his 73‑year‑old brother Mohamed from where he had been buried in front of his house to a public cemetery. The paramilitary RSF had killed Mohamed and waited three weeks before allowing a neighbour to bury his decomposing body, contradicting Islamic tradition, which calls for burial as quickly as possible.

Alswai wiped tears from his eyes as gravediggers exhumed his brother's remains. At least now, he said, Mohamed would receive a dignified burial and the family could have some peace.

"What happened had left a mark on my heart," he said.