ICC Takes Action on El Fasher Crimes

The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) expressed its deep concern and grave alarm regarding recent reports from El Fasher, Darfur, in western Sudan, detailing mass killings, rape, and other crimes allegedly committed during attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The Office stated that these atrocities are part of a wider pattern of violence that has plagued the entire Darfur region since April 2023, noting that such acts, if proven, could constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute.

The Office affirmed that the ICC, pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1593 (2005), has jurisdiction over crimes committed in the ongoing conflict in Darfur.

The Office is also actively investigating crimes allegedly committed in Darfur since the outbreak of hostilities in April 2023.

The statement noted that the Office is working intensively on the ground, through frequent field deployments, enhanced engagement with victims’ groups and civil society, and expanded cooperation with national authorities and international organizations, as reflected in its most recent report to the UN Security Council.

As part of the ongoing investigation, the Office is taking urgent steps regarding the crimes that occurred in El Fasher, with the aim of preserving and collecting evidence for use in future prosecutions.

The Office also recalled that the recent conviction by the International Criminal Court of Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-al-Rahman (also known as Ali Kushayb), a Janjaweed militia leader, on similar charges for crimes committed in Darfur in 2004, serves as a warning to all parties to the conflict in Darfur that justice will be served against anyone who commits such heinous crimes.

The Office of the Prosecutor called on all individuals and organizations concerned with achieving justice and accountability to submit any information or evidence related to the recent or past events in El Fasher through the Office’s secure platform.