Darfur – The International Criminal Court warns against repeating past atrocities and calls for action

This came during Khan’s semi-annual briefing to the UN Security Council, today, Wednesday, regarding the court’s activities related to the situation in Darfur, which the council referred to the International Criminal Court in 2005.

Speaking via video, Shamim Khan said that she recently visited eastern Chad, where she met a number of refugees fleeing Darfur, and heard their testimonies about the violations they were subjected to.

added: “There is a real sense of despair in these camps, with a clear and recurring belief that the world has largely forgotten them, that their lives are not valued as much, and that the scale of their suffering has not been met with a meaningful response.”

She explained that the testimonies she heard reflected the suffering of the entire Darfur community, noting that many refugees witnessed the killing of their fathers or the rape of their mothers before their eyes, while children were repeatedly subjected to attacks and rape and are still suffering from the effects of psychological trauma.

She said: “What we heard from them reflects the same picture of the widespread pattern of crimes that prompted the referral of the situation in Darfur to this Council in 2005.” She added that the same crimes, and the same methods of intimidation and humiliation, are being repeated again, and that residents fear that “the worst is yet to come.”

Warning about white

In a related context, Khan said that the Prosecution Office agrees with the assessment of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights that the most serious international crimes may be about to occur in the city of El Obeid.

“We cannot say we did not know,” she added, calling on the Security Council and member states to take action to prevent further atrocities. She said: “The responsibility now lies with this Council and all countries to act to prevent further atrocities.”

Progress in investigations

The Deputy Public Prosecutor noted that the conviction of the former leader of the Janjaweed militia, Ali Kushayb, for war crimes and crimes against humanity gave the affected communities hope for justice, stressing that support from the court’s trust fund would be necessary to ensure reparation for the victims.

She added that the Prosecution Office continues its work at an accelerated pace, and said: “Our office is moving forward at a rapid pace, and nothing will deter us from our goal of holding accountable those responsible for the crimes committed in El Fasher in 2025, and in El Geneina in 2023, as well as the historical crimes that began more than two decades ago, the effects of which continue to fuel violence and bloodshed today.”

She explained that the Prosecution Office has made “real and tangible progress” in recent months, including conducting interviews with key witnesses that helped directly link the crimes to their perpetrators.

She said: “This represents a radical shift and an important breakthrough, and sends a clear message to those who lead these attacks, those who plan them, and those who support the commission of atrocities from afar and think they will gain from them: You are wrong.”

---

Below, you can follow the details of the Security Council session via the UN webcast website – with the option of simultaneous translation into Arabic.