International Criminal Court warns atrocities in Sudan’s El-Fasher may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity as conflict spreads
PORT SUDAN: The International Criminal Court warned on Monday that atrocities committed in Sudan’s El-Fasher could amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The United Nations reported that thousands had fled a neighbouring region where paramilitaries have shifted their military focus.
According to United Nations figures, more than 36,000 civilians have fled towns and villages in the Kordofan region between October 26 and last Friday.
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces simultaneously warned it was amassing forces along a new front line.
Kordofan serves as a strategic area linking the vast western region of Darfur with the national capital Khartoum.
This expansion of the conflict comes just over a week after the RSF captured El-Fasher, which was the army’s last stronghold in Darfur.
Numerous reports have emerged detailing mass killings, sexual violence, looting and abductions following the city’s capture.
The RSF has established a rival administration in Darfur to counter the pro-army government operating from Port Sudan.
Residents on Monday reported a major surge in both RSF and army forces across towns and villages in North Kordofan state.
Both sides are now competing for control of El-Obeid, the North Kordofan state capital and a crucial logistics hub connecting Darfur to Khartoum.
Suleiman Babiker, a resident of Um Smeima west of El-Obeid, told AFP that RSF vehicle numbers increased significantly after El-Fasher’s capture.
“We stopped going to our farms, afraid of clashes,” he explained to AFP.
Another resident requesting anonymity reported a substantial increase in army vehicles and weapons around El-Obeid over the past two weeks.
The RSF claimed control of Bara, a city north of El-Obeid, just last week.
An RSF member appeared in a video shared on their official Telegram page advising civilians to avoid military sites.
Awad Ali, living in Al-Hamadi, reported daily RSF vehicle movements from West Kordofan toward El-Obeid since early October.
Kordofan is a resource-rich region divided administratively into North, South and West Kordofan.
As the fighting shifts geographically, famine continues to spread across affected regions.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification had previously declared famine in parts of South Kordofan and three displacement camps around El-Fasher.
On Monday the organization declared famine had reached two additional areas including El-Fasher itself and the besieged city of Kadugli in South Kordofan.
The classification added that twenty more areas across Darfur and Kordofan currently face famine risk.
The ICC prosecutor’s office expressed profound alarm and deepest concern over reports of mass killings, rapes and other crimes in El-Fasher.
They specifically warned that such acts may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.
In Istanbul, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged the Muslim world to take responsibility for ending the bloodshed in Sudan.
“No one with a heart… can accept the recent massacres targeting civilians in El-Fasher. We cannot remain silent,” he stated.
Ankara has provided support for the Sudanese army throughout the conflict.
Martha Pobee, assistant UN secretary-general for Africa, cautioned last week that Kordofan likely represents the next military focus for the warring parties.
She highlighted large-scale atrocities perpetrated by the RSF and raised alarms about patterns echoing those in Darfur.
Both Darfur and Kordofan contain significant non-Arab communities distinct from the country’s Sudanese Arab majority.
At least 50 civilians, including five Red Crescent volunteers, were killed in recent violence in North Kordofan according to UN figures.
Both the RSF, descended from Janjaweed militias accused of genocide two decades ago, and the army face war crimes allegations.
The United States under President Joe Biden concluded in January that RSF members and allied militias have committed genocide in Sudan.
International action on Sudan has remained largely muted while peace efforts have consistently failed.
The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced nearly 12 million more.
This violence has created the world’s largest displacement and hunger crises. – AFP
