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The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday voiced concern over reports of mass killings, rapes, and other crimes committed by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in el-Fasher, warning the acts may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
In a statement, the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC expressed its “profound alarm and deepest concern” over reports of atrocities allegedly carried out during the RSF’s attacks on el-Fasher, which it seized on Oct. 26.
“Such acts, if substantiated, may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute,” the statement said, adding that the violence is “part of a broader pattern that has afflicted the entire Darfur region since April 2023.”
The ICC affirmed its jurisdiction over crimes committed in the ongoing conflict in Darfur and said it is already investigating alleged violations since the outbreak of hostilities between the Sudanese army and the RSF.
The prosecutor’s office said it is “taking immediate steps regarding the alleged crimes in el-Fasher to preserve and collect relevant evidence for future prosecutions.”
On Oct. 26, the RSF seized control of el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, and committed massacres against civilians, according to local and international organizations.
The attack has raised warnings that the assault could entrench the geographical partition of Sudan.
Since April 15, 2023, Sudan’s army and the RSF have been engaged in a war that regional and international mediations have failed to end. The conflict has killed thousands of people and displaced millions of others.
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