Sudan has called on the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) to expand its investigations into war crimes committed in Darfur to include individuals and entities from foreign countries—whether neighboring Sudan, within Africa, or among the region’s major backers.
In a statement delivered on Thursday in response to the ICC Prosecutor’s briefing to the UN Security Council, Sudan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Al-Harith Idriss Al-Harith, argued that these external actors have continuously aided, abetted, and incited the continuation of war. He accused them of facilitating arms smuggling and providing logistical support, food, supplies, and drones to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). He claimed that such support has enabled the RSF to occupy parts of Sudanese territory with the help of foreign mercenaries, with the aim of establishing a parallel government—an act he described as a new form of aggression that should be addressed by including these actors in the investigation. Doing so, he stated, would close the growing loopholes of impunity that have persisted amid the atrocities witnessed by the world.
According to the statement, Sudan appealed to the international community to provide the necessary financial, logistical, and political support to enable the ICC to carry out its mandate regarding the grave crimes currently being committed in Darfur. The ambassador warned that continued impunity for perpetrators threatens not only peace and security in Darfur but also undermines transitional justice and national reconciliation efforts across Sudan.
