The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to hold a session in the first half of July to receive the semi-annual briefing on the activities of the International Criminal Court (ICC) related to the situation in Darfur. The briefing will be delivered by ICC Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan.
According to Al-Muhaqqiq news outlet, and based on the latest report submitted by the ICC Prosecutor to the Security Council on January 16 pursuant to Resolution 1593, the Office of the Prosecutor has gathered sufficient evidence to establish reasonable grounds to believe that a wide range of crimes outlined in the Rome Statute have been—and continue to be—committed in Darfur in the context of the ongoing conflict in Sudan, which began in April 2023.
The UN Security Council’s monthly bulletin noted that the Office of the Prosecutor has continued to preserve evidence and information related to alleged crimes committed in North Darfur. In his briefing to the Security Council on January 27, ICC Prosecutor Karim Ahmad Khan highlighted that the pattern of crimes, the perpetrators, and the targeted groups in the ongoing Sudanese conflict bear a strong resemblance to those in the 2003 conflict, which initially led the Council to refer the situation to the ICC.
Khan emphasized the need to close the impunity gap and called for greater accountability. He expressed concern over widespread allegations of targeting women and girls, including reports of gender-based crimes. Khan confirmed that the Office of the Prosecutor is taking steps to submit requests for arrest warrants for alleged crimes committed in West Darfur.
Al-Muhaqqiq points out that these developments relate to the events in which the Governor of West Darfur, Khamis Abakar, was killed and dragged through the streets, and dozens of civilians were killed on an ethnic basis.
The UN Under-Secretary-General and Acting Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Virginia Gamba, stated during the 53rd session of the Human Rights Council that the warring Sudanese parties in the current conflict have committed grave human rights violations. She warned that the risk of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity in Sudan remains extremely high.
Gamba also raised alarms over ongoing and targeted attacks against specific ethnic groups, particularly in the Darfur and Kordofan regions. She stressed that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias continue to carry out ethnically motivated attacks against the Zaghawa, Masalit, and Fur communities.
The Security Council’s internal bulletin also referred to recent developments in human rights, noting that on June 2, a humanitarian aid convoy consisting of 15 trucks from the World Food Programme and UNICEF was attacked in the town of Al-Koma, about 80 kilometers from El Fasher. The attack resulted in the deaths of five individuals, injuries to others, and the destruction of several trucks and vital humanitarian supplies.
In a press statement issued on June 4, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called for swift and impartial investigations into the incidents in Al-Koma, as well as serious steps to ensure accountability. The Commission also urged all parties to the conflict to take concrete measures to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure and to ensure the safe and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid in accordance with their obligations under international humanitarian law.
