The Hague, November 4 (Darfur24)
The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced on Monday that it has begun taking immediate steps to preserve and collect evidence related to alleged crimes committed in El Fasher, for potential use in future prosecutions.
The move comes after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized control of the headquarters of the Sudanese army’s 6th Infantry Division in El Fasher, following nearly 18 months of siege. The city had served as the army’s last stronghold in the Darfur region.
In a statement, ICC prosecutors expressed “profound alarm and deepest concern” over reports of mass killings, rapes, and other atrocities allegedly committed during the RSF’s assault on the city, warning that such acts, if verified, “may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity” under the Rome Statute.
The Prosecutor’s Office reaffirmed that, under UN Security Council Resolution 1593 (2005), the ICC has jurisdiction over crimes committed in Darfur and that investigations into violations since the outbreak of conflict in April 2023 are ongoing.
It added that the Court’s recent conviction of Janjaweed leader Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, known as Ali Kushayb, for similar crimes committed in Darfur in 2004, should serve as a reminder that “there will be accountability for such atrocious crimes.”
The Office urged individuals and organizations working for justice to submit any relevant information or evidence concerning recent or prior events in El Fasher through the ICC’s secure OTP Link platform.
Meanwhile, U.S. officials said they are engaging both the Sudanese army and the RSF to help broker a humanitarian truce in Darfur, amid growing international concern over the escalating violence.