ICC prosecutor 'extremely concerned' about Darfur, calls for evidence
War has raged for more than a year between the regular military under army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
Supporters and members of the Sudanese armed popular resistance, which backs the army, raise their weapons on a pick up truck during a meeting with the city's governor in Gedaref, Sudan, on 16 January 2024 amid the ongoing conflict in Sudan between the army and paramilitaries. Picture: AFP
THE HAGUE - The International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Tuesday voiced serious concern about violence raging in Sudan's Darfur, urging witnesses to send his office evidence to aid their investigation.
War has raged for more than a year between the regular military under army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
The city of El-Fasher in North Darfur has seen fierce fighting since May 10, with at least 192 killed and more than 1,200 wounded, according to medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
"I am extremely concerned about allegations of widespread international crimes being committed in El-Fasher and its surrounding areas," prosecutor Karim Khan said in a statement.
Evidence already collected "seems to show credible, repeated, expanding, continuous allegations of attacks against the civilian population," said Khan.
El-Fasher is the only state capital in the vast western region not under RSF control, and a key humanitarian hub for a region on the brink of famine.
The city's last operating hospital has been closed due to paramilitary attacks, MSF announced on Monday, saying it was "outrageous" that RSF fighters opened fire inside the hospital.
Khan said there was also evidence apparently showing "the widespread, prevalent use of rape and other forms of sexual violence" and attacks against hospitals.
"It is an outrage that we are allowing history to repeat itself once again in Darfur," said the prosecutor.
"We cannot and we must not allow Darfur to become the world's forgotten atrocity, once again," added Khan.
The war across Sudan has killed tens of thousands of people, including up to 15,000 in a single West Darfur town, UN experts say.
Nearly nine million people have been forced from their homes.
Both sides have been accused of war crimes including deliberately targeting civilians, indiscriminate shelling of residential areas and blocking humanitarian aid.
Rights groups and the United States have also accused the paramilitaries of ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.
"We ask that you send any relevant information to us on our dedicated, secure platform, OTP Link," said Khan.