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UN Fact-Finding Mission Calls for Independent Judicial Body in Partnership with the ICC

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The United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan has called on the international community to establish an independent judicial body in partnership with the International Criminal Court (ICC) to “end decades of impunity and hold those responsible for the most serious crimes under international law accountable.”

In a statement released Thursday, the Mission also urged the expansion of the ICC’s jurisdiction to cover all parts of Sudan, the creation of a dedicated office to support victims and provide reparations, and stronger support for documentation and accountability efforts.

The Mission warned of a systematic obstruction of justice in Sudan, citing the unwillingness or inability of all parties to the conflict to conduct investigations or prosecutions for grave crimes, despite the scale of the violations committed.

According to the Mission, testimonies collected from survivors reveal ongoing and deliberate attacks against civilians, including summary executions based on ethnicity, sexual violence, widespread looting, destruction of vital infrastructure, and mass forced displacement.

“The world must choose between silence and solidarity,” said Mohamed Chande Othman, Chair of the Fact-Finding Mission. “We must ensure that the cries of victims in Sudan do not echo into a void but are translated into concrete action.”

Mission expert Mona Rishmawi emphasized that the dismantling of Sudan’s justice system and the continued absence of accountability have “made these crimes possible,” stressing the need for decisive international action to close the accountability gap.

The statement concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe that both warring parties have committed serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity.