Sudan: War crimes and crimes against humanity taking place, International Criminal Court believes
The tribunal's deputy prosecutor has told the UN Security Council that the humanitarian crisis and depth of suffering in the country's western Darfur region "has reached an intolerable state".
Nazhat Shameem Khan said: "People are being deprived of water and food.
"Rape and sexual violence are being weaponised. Abductions for ransom or to bolster the ranks of armed groups have become common practice."
"And yet we should not be under any illusion," she told the UN's most powerful body. "Things can still get worse."
The war in began in April 2023, when long-simmering tensions between the Sudanese army and paramilitary forces broke out in the capital, Khartoum.
The conflict soon spread to other regions, including Darfur, and some 40,000 people have been killed and almost 13 million displaced, according to UN agencies.
Ms Khan said the ICC has been closely tracking the dire situation in North Darfur in recent weeks.
The region's capital, El Fasher, has been besieged by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and affiliated groups.
The RSF, which controls the capitals of all other states in Darfur, has also attacked famine-hit Zamzam and other camps for displaced Sudanese in North Darfur.
Ms Khan said: "On the basis of our independent investigations, the position of our office is clear, we have reasonable grounds to believe that war crimes and crimes against humanity have been and are continuing to be committed in Darfur."
Read more:
The conclusion is based on documentary, testimonial and digital evidence collected by ICC investigations over the last six months and over 7,000 items of evidence collected to date, she added.
Ms Khan emphasised that the ICC considers the situation in Darfur "of the utmost importance" and said it will not be deterred until justice is delivered to the perpetrators.
Darfur became synonymous with genocide and war crimes two decades ago, particularly by the notorious Janjaweed Arab militias. Up to 300,000 people were killed and 2.7 million were driven out of their homes.
Ms Khan said those now "inflicting unimaginable atrocities on [Darfur's] population" should know Janjaweed leader Ali Kushayb is currently on trial and the ICC hopes it will be the first of many.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump's Former Jobs Data Chief Decries Firing of Successor
(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump's firing of the chief labor statistician was criticized by her predecessor, who called it an unfounded move that will undermine confidence in a key data set on the US economy. We Should All Be Biking Along the Beach Seeking Relief From Heat and Smog, Cities Follow the Wind Chicago Curbs Hiring, Travel to Tackle $1 Billion Budget Hole NYC Mayor Adams Gives Bally's Bronx Casino Plan a Second Chance 'This is damaging,' William Beach, whom Trump picked in his first term to head the Bureau of Labor Statistics, said on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday. Trump on Friday fired Erika McEntarfer hours after labor market data showed weak jobs growth based in part on steep downward revisions for May and June. The move by Trump, who claimed the latest monthly report was 'phony,' prompted an outcry from economists and lawmakers. 'I don't know that there's any grounds at all for this firing,' said Beach, whom McEntarfer replaced in January 2024. 'And it really hurts the statistical system. It undermines credibility in BLS.' Studies indicate that the agency's data is more accurate than 20 or 30 years ago, including any revisions of the initial data, Beach said. Even so, he said he'll trust future BLS data because people working for the agency are 'some of the most loyal Americans you can imagine,' making the bureau 'the finest statistical agency in the entire world.' Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan, speaking Sunday on CBS's Face the Nation, urged the US government to improve its data collection to avoid revisions that engender distrust. 'We watch what consumers really do. We watch what businesses really do,' Moynihan said, while not addressing the politics of the firing. 'They can get this data, I think, other ways, and I think that's where the focus would be.' He noted the revision for May and June data, while not unusual, was one of the largest in seven years. 'That creates doubt around it,' he said. 'Let's spend some money. Let's bring the information together. Let's find where else in the government money is reported.' McEntarfer was confirmed by the Senate in a bipartisan 86-8 vote. Vice President JD Vance, then a senator, voted to approve her nomination. Kevin Hassett, Trump's chief economic adviser at the White House, alleged that the large jobs data revisions were poorly explained and were evidence enough for a 'fresh set of eyes' at BLS. He sought to contradict Beach's portrayal of the agency as politically neutral. 'The bottom line is that there were people involved in creating these numbers,' Hassett said on NBC's Meet the Press. Pressed on whether Trump would fire anyone offering data he disagreed with, Hassett, who heads the National Economic Council, disagreed. 'No, absolutely not,' he said. 'The president wants his own people there so that when we see the numbers, they're more transparent and more reliable.' (Updates with Moynihan comments beginning in sixth paragraph.) How Podcast-Obsessed Tech Investors Made a New Media Industry Everyone Loves to Hate Wind Power. Scotland Found a Way to Make It Pay Off Russia Builds a New Web Around Kremlin's Handpicked Super App Cage-Free Eggs Are Booming in the US, Despite Cost and Trump's Efforts What's Really Behind Those Rosy GDP Numbers? ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
CBS News
15 minutes ago
- CBS News
At least 3 shot, 1 killed in Denver in 2 overnight shootings
One person is dead, at least two are injured, and at least two suspects are at large in two separate overnight shootings in Denver, police say. The first one occurred just before 8 a.m. near 22nd Street and Glenarm Place. The victim in that shooting was pronounced dead at the scene, but police don't have suspect information in that shooting either. The second one was reported around 4 a.m. near West 6th Avenue and Knox Court. At least two people were shot. Police don't know the extent of their injuries and are working to develop information about the suspect or suspects. CBS News Colorado reached out to Denver police for more information about these shootings on Sunday morning, but didn't immediately receive a response.
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Palestinian-American dies of smoke inhalation in West Bank after settlers set fires to cars, homes
A Palestinian American died in the Israeli-occupied West Bank last week after a confrontation with settlers, U.S. officials confirmed. Khamis Ayyad, who was in his 40s, died Thursday from smoke inhalation in Silwad, a village in the central West Bank near several Israeli settlements, a U.S. official told CBS News. The Palestinian health ministry said on Friday that the fires were set by settlers on homes and vehicles in Silwad, according to the Agence France-Presse. A U.S. State Department spokesperson confirmed to CBS News the death on Sunday and condemned what they called "criminal violence by any party." "We offer condolences to the family on their loss and are providing consular assistance to them," the spokesperson said, adding that they would not be commenting further. Ayyad was laid to rest on Friday. The Palestinian Authority, which administers part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, told AFP that some villages around Silwad also came under attack by settlers, in which vehicles, homes and farmlands were set ablaze. Witnesses said Israeli forces fired live rounds and tear gas toward residents after the settlers attacked. Israel's military said police were investigating the incident. They said security forces found Hebrew graffiti and a burnt vehicle at the scene but had not detained any suspects. Ayyad is the latest Palestinian American to die in the West Bank in three weeks. Saifullah Kamel Musallet, a 20-year-old man from Tampa, was beaten to death by settlers while visiting family in the West Bank in July. He was killed in a confrontation with settlers while protecting his family's land in the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, according to his family and the Palestinian Health Ministry. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who visited Gaza last week with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, has asked Israel to "aggressively investigate the murder" of Musallet, saying in a social media post that "there must be accountability for this criminal and terrorist act." There has been a rise in settler attacks on Palestinians, as well as Palestinian militant attacks on Israelis and large-scale Israeli military operations in the occupied West Bank since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel out of Gaza that triggered the Israel-Hamas war. Hamas-led terrorists killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, that day and abducted 251 others. They still hold 50 hostages, including around 20 still believed to be alive. Most of the others have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians and operates under the Hamas government. The U.N. and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties. In Gaza on Sunday, at least 23 Palestinians seeking food were killed by Israeli forces, according to hospital officials and witnesses, who described facing gunfire as hungry crowds surged around aid sites. Desperation has gripped the Palestinian territory of more than 2 million, which experts have warned is facing famine because of Israel's blockade and nearly two-year Brennan contributed to this report.
