Key facts
- The ICC has found "concrete evidence" linking leaders of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.
- ICC Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Khan described the findings as a "breakthrough" in the investigation.
- The evidence connects ongoing atrocities to specific individuals in leadership roles.
- The ICC prosecutor's office stated the investigation has accelerated in recent months.
- The war in Sudan has killed tens of thousands and displaced over 13 million people.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has announced a significant breakthrough in its investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan's Darfur region. Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Khan stated that "concrete evidence" now links leaders of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to recent atrocities. Khan described the progress as substantial, indicating that the ICC has found evidence connecting the events on the ground to specific individuals in leadership roles. She expressed confidence that charges would eventually be brought, though she could not specify when arrest warrant applications might be filed, adhering to ICC rules. The RSF has denied widespread allegations of killings and ethnic targeting, though the group has acknowledged that some violations occurred. The ongoing conflict, which began in April 2023, has seen intense fighting, particularly during the RSF's takeover of al-Fashir, resulting in tens of thousands of people fleeing. UN experts have noted that the violence bears the "hallmarks of genocide" against people from non-Arab tribes. The ICC's investigation utilizes witness testimonies and corroborative evidence. The UN Security Council granted the ICC jurisdiction over atrocity crimes committed in Darfur in 2005.