ICC: Concrete Evidence Linking RSF Leaders to Darfur War Crimes

Source: BBC
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has announced a "significant breakthrough" in its investigation into alleged war crimes in Sudans Darfur region, saying it has obtained "concrete evidence" linking senior leaders of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to war crimes and crimes against humanity, according to the BBC.

Speaking to the BBC, ICC Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan said investigators have gathered evidence connecting atrocities committed in El Fasher and El Geneina to specific individuals in RSF leadership positions.

"It may take time for justice to be delivered, but we will get there," Khan said, describing the progress in the investigation as a "breakthrough."

She declined to provide a timeline for possible indictments, saying it was impossible to predict how long the judicial process would take, while emphasizing that the investigation has made substantial progress.

The ICC has been investigating alleged war crimes in Darfur for more than two decades, but the conflict that erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF has intensified the courts focus, particularly following large-scale attacks on El Fasher and El Geneina.

According to Khan, investigators are relying on survivor and witness testimonies, videos, photographs, forensic evidence, and other corroborating material. She noted that the current pattern of abuses closely resembles the crimes committed in Darfur more than 20 years ago.

The United Nations has reported that more than 6,000 people were killed during the RSF offensive that culminated in the capture of El Fasher in October last year. The RSF has also been accused of carrying out mass killings in El Geneina, allegations the group has repeatedly denied while acknowledging that some violations may have occurred.

Khan recently visited refugee camps in eastern Chad, where she met survivors who had fled violence in Darfur as part of the ICCs ongoing evidence-gathering mission.

Based in The Hague, the International Criminal Court prosecutes individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.

The court is currently handling several Darfur-related cases, including those involving former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and four other suspects who remain at large. Last year, it sentenced former Janjaweed commander Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman (Ali Kushayb) to 20 years in prison after convicting him of 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur between 2003 and 2004.