AP
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The International Criminal Court (ICC) believes war crimes and crimes against humanity continue to take place in Sudan’s vast Darfur region, where the Civil War has been raging for more than two years, a court deputy prosecutor said Thursday.
Nazhat Shamem Khan told the UN Security Council that the depth of Darfur’s suffering and the humanitarian crisis “has reached an unbearable state.”
“People are being deprived of water and food,” she said. “Rape and sexual violence have been weaponized. Ransom aid and strengthening the ranks of armed groups have become common practice.”
“Even so, we should not be under illusions,” Shamem Khan warned the most powerful UN organizations. “Things can still get worse.”
Sudan entered into conflict in mid-April 2023. This is when long and intense tensions between military and paramilitary leaders broke out in the capital Khartoum and spread to other regions, including Darfur. According to UN agencies, around 40,000 people have been killed, including other countries, and almost 13 million people have been displaced.
ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan told the Security Council in January that there is evidence to believe in both government forces and paramilitary swift support forces.
The Biden administration determined that RSF and its proxy were committed to genocide just before taking office in January.
Karim Khan temporarily resigned as ICC chief prosecutors have pending the findings of an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.
Deputy prosecutor Shamem Khan, who is not involved, said the ICC had closely followed reports of the dire situation in North Darfur in recent weeks. The RSF, which manages the capitals of all other Darfur states, attacked Zamzam and other camps, which were stricken by starvation for the refugees in North Darfur.
“Based on our independent investigation, our office’s position is clear and there is a reasonable basis for believing that war crimes and crimes against humanity continue to be committed in Darfur,” Khan told the council.
The conclusion is based on documentaries, testimony and digital evidence collected by ICC investigators over the past six months, including a refugee camp in nearby Chad, she said. She said more than 7,000 evidence has been collected so far.
Khan emphasized to Congress and the victims that the ICC considers the situation in Darfur “the most important thing,” and that it will not be blocked until justice reaches the perpetrators.
Twenty years ago, Darfur became synonymous with genocide and war crimes, especially by the Janjaweed Arab militia, for groups identified as central or East Africans. Up to 300,000 people have been killed and 2.7 million people have been kicked out of their homes.
Khan said that the people of Darfur are now “inflicting unimaginable atrocities on the population.” They may feel a sense of immunity, but Janjaweed leader Ali Kusheeve is currently in trial and the ICC hopes it will become a lot of it.
“But we also have a confidentiality obligation to the court,” Khan said. “We cannot share details of the nature of our progress or the specific outcomes that are expected. We can only ensure that the progress we have made is concrete, positive and important.”
