ICC vows to hold Darfur perpetrators accountable, arrest warrants to be issued

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 6 (Reuters) – The International Criminal Court (ICC) is determined to seek justice for the victims of atrocities in Darfur and will soon issue arrest warrants for those responsible, its prosecutor said on Monday.

Briefing the UN Security Council on Monday, August 5, Karim Khan lamented that “Darfur is seen as a lawless zone” where atrocities can be committed with impunity, sometimes with the support of external forces.

“But for those who are in Darfur today — I mean the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces — for those who aided and abetted them, encouraged them, financed them, provided them with weapons, gave them orders to gain certain advantages, I want to be very clear that we are investigating,” he said.

Khan stressed that the ICC is using its resources to investigate the events since April 2023 to ensure that they comply with international humanitarian law and the principle that every human life has equal value.

This is the first time that the ICC prosecutor has publicly spoken about the responsibility of external actors in Sudan’s ongoing conflict. Various reports have accused the UAE and Chad of involvement in supporting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Khan also told the committee that the Sudanese government was cooperating with the ICC and had allowed a team into Port Sudan to investigate and gather information.

“We have successfully gathered evidence and our engagement with General Burhan and his authorities has resulted in many long-standing requests being fulfilled,” he said.

Khan added that the ICC has carried out several missions to collect testimonial evidence from Sudanese refugees fleeing Darfur.

Khan noted that “significant progress has been made” and said he expected to announce applications for arrest warrants against some of those primarily responsible for the atrocities in his next report.

He also noted that a final statement on the case of local Janjaweed militia leader Ali Kushayb is expected this year, adding: “The ICC is not a talking shop.”