The International Criminal Court (ICC) told the UN Security Council on Thursday that “reasonable grounds” exist to believe war crimes and crimes against humanity are occurring in Sudan’s Darfur region.
The ICC’s investigation highlighted targeted sexual violence against women and girls from specific ethnic groups as a particularly alarming issue. The conflict erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), resulting in what the UN describes as “devastating civilian casualties.”
ICC Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan expressed the difficulty in finding words to convey the suffering in the region. The UN Security Council tasked the ICC with investigating crimes in Darfur two decades ago. Since then, the ICC has opened multiple investigations into war crimes and genocide dating back to July 2002.
In 2023, the ICC initiated a new probe following the resurgence of civil war, with investigators interviewed victims who fled to neighboring Chad to escape the violence. Khan noted an “inescapable pattern of offending” and emphasized the team’s commitment to translating these crimes into evidence for prosecution.
Escalating Humanitarian Crisis
Allegations of war crimes have persisted over the past two years, as the US determined in January 2025 that the RSF and allied militias committed genocide. The RSF denied these claims, labeling the situation a “tribal conflict” in Darfur.
Reports from the UN indicate worsening conditions in the region, since armed encirclement by RSF forces has cut off civilians in El-Fasher from aid. Targeted attacks on hospitals and humanitarian convoys have exacerbated the crisis, while food and water remain deliberately withheld.
An escalating famine grips the region as UNICEF reported that over 40,000 children received treatment for severe acute malnutrition between January and May 2025, more than double the number from the same period last year. Sheldon Yett from UNICEF stated, “Children in Darfur are starving by conflict and cut off from the very aid that could save them.”
In the last two years, more than 150,000 people have died in the conflict, and approximately 12 million have been displaced. Khan warned, “We should not be under any illusion—things can still get worse.”
