Sudan: On Repeat

On Repeat Sudan International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Karim Khan will seek arrest warrants for individuals accused of atrocities in Sudan’s western Darfur region, an announcement that comes amid international concerns that genocide and other war crimes are being committed in the country’s nearly two-year conflict, the Guardian reported. On Monday, Khan told the United Nations Security Council that “criminality is accelerating in Darfur.” He alleged that the fighting has targeted civilians, subjected women and girls to sexual violence, and left many communities destroyed. The ICC prosecutor stressed that the allegations come from “a hard-edged analysis based on verified evidence,” but gave no details on the specific crimes or the individuals the ICC wants to detain. Sudan erupted in civil war in April 2023 following a feud between the country’s military leader and the commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The conflict initially began in the capital Khartoum, but later spread into other regions, including Darfur. More than 20 years ago, the western Sudanese region became synonymous with genocide and war crimes during a brutal conflict that saw government forces of then-President Omar al-Bashir and its Janjaweed Arab militia allies launch a brutal war against non-Arab populations there. Around 300,000 people were killed and 2.7 million were displaced. Currently, the ICC has outstanding arrest warrants for Sudanese officials and leaders involved in an earlier conflict in Darfur, including al-Bashir, who was ousted in 2019 and is currently in jail. During the UN meeting, Khan warned that the current conflict bears “very clear echoes” to the events that occurred decades ago in Darfur, according to Euronews. Observers noted that Khan’s comments came weeks after the ICC prosecutor told the UN Security Council that there were grounds to believe that both Sudan’s army and the RSF – which evolved from the Janjaweed – may be committing genocide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes in Darfur. Before leaving office, the Biden administration imposed sanctions against Sudan’s army chief and de facto leader, Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and RSF commander Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo for their roles in the conflict, the Middle East Eye noted. Share this story