"Sudan's civil war has reached a new tipping point after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) took control of el-Fasher, the army's last stronghold in the western Darfur region, with the International Criminal Court suspecting war crimes have been committed. The ICC prosecutor's office (OTP) voiced on Monday "profound alarm and deepest concern" over reports from el-Fasher about mass killings, rapes, and other crimes allegedly committed. "Within the ongoing investigation, the office is taking immediate steps regarding the alleged crimes in (el-Fasher) to preserve and collect relevant evidence for its use in future prosecutions," ICC prosecutors said in a statement."
"The ICC sounded the alarm on Monday concerning the situation in el-Fasher, which the RSF captured following an 18-month siege. The ICC prosecutor's office addressed reports concerning several crimes committed at the hand of the paramilitary rebels. "These atrocities are part of a broader pattern of violence that has afflicted the entire Darfur region since April 2023," said the office in a statement. "Such acts, if substantiated, may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute," referring the founding text of the ICC. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video According to the United Nations, more than 65,000 people have fled el-Fasher, including approximately 5,000 to the nearby town of Tawila. However, tens of thousands remain trapped and others are unaccounted for after fleeing. Before the final assault, approximately 260,000 people lived in the city."
RSF forces captured el-Fasher, the army's last stronghold in western Darfur, after an 18-month siege. The ICC prosecutor's office expressed profound alarm over reports of mass killings, rapes and other alleged crimes, and said it is taking immediate steps to preserve and collect evidence for future prosecutions. The ICC described the el-Fasher atrocities as part of a broader pattern of violence across Darfur since April 2023 and warned such acts may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute. The United Nations reports more than 65,000 people fled, with tens of thousands trapped or unaccounted for; about 260,000 lived in the city before the assault. The Red Cross warned history is repeating itself and the UN human rights office said hundreds may have been killed.
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