Amidst the coverage of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) capturing of El-Fasher in late October, internet users shared a screenshot from Google Earth allegedly showing mass killings in Sudan. The image went viral, with over 15 million views to date. However, France 24, together with Benjamin Strick from the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR), have shown that the image is old and actually shows livestock.
“This is the most disturbing Google Earth image ever…” claimed an anonymous user on X, in a post published on November 3, denouncing the ongoing war in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF.
The image concerned is a screenshot from Google Earth showing the town of Kumia in southern Sudan. It shows a large dark patch, on which dozens of bodies are reportedly located. France 24’s Vedika Bahl commented that the image had received extremely viral coverage.
However, she went on to explain that the satellite image does not show atrocities and that in the hours following the publication of the photo, several satellite imagery analysis specialists, including Benjamin Strick, director of investigations at the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR), spoke to France 24 to caution against distorted interpretation of these images.
The image shows Kumia, a town located 300 kilometres south of El-Fasher. The date of the image does not coincide with recent events related to the capture of the city. The information provided by Google Earth indicates that the satellite image was taken on March 16, 2024, more than a year and a half ago.
France 24 and Strick explained that the stain, considered by many internet users to be a pool of blood, is not new. Another image of this location from 2022 shows the same stain in the same place. Strick said the elements visible in the image in fact represents a watering hole surrounded by a herd of cattle, not human bodies:
“When I saw this image, it struck me because of the different colouration in the ground, but also the fact that there were lots of objects on the ground. I’ve seen these kinds of things before, around cattle and specifically livestock.”
France 24 went on to add that this is confirmed by the fact that similar structures, dark patches surrounded by cattle, can also be seen in the surrounding area, as shown in another image taken about ten kilometres away in 2022.
“Out of all of the things that have come out about Sudan over the past two weeks, this, in my opinion, had almost the most views,” says Strick. He told France 24 that this image, which has already gained over 15 million views in a single post on X on November 5 2025, has been viewed more than any other legitimate verified video.
