November 4, 2025 | 11:20 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor on Monday warned that the atrocities committed in the city of El Fasher in Sudan could constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.
After 18 months of siege, bombing, and starvation, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a rebel paramilitary force, successfully took control of the city on October 26, ousting the last stronghold of the army in the Darfur region of western Sudan.
The ICC prosecutor's office voiced "profound alarm and deepest concern" over reports from El Fashir of mass killings, rape, and other alleged crimes.
"These atrocities are part of a broader pattern of violence that has afflicted the entire Darfur region since April 2023," the OTP said in a statement as reported by Al Arabiya.
"Such acts, if substantiated, may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute," the ICC prosecutor said, referring to the ICC's founding treaty.
The Sudanese authorities reported that the RSF slaughtered 300 women within two days of entering the city, including pregnant mothers who were raped and then killed by the RSF.
The UN stated that more than 65,000 people had fled El Fasher, including around 5,000 to the nearby town of Tawila. However, tens of thousands of others remained trapped.
Prior to the final assault, around 260,000 people resided in the city.
Since the RSF takeover, there have been reports of executions, sexual violence, looting, attacks on aid workers, and abductions in and around El Fasher, where communication has mostly been cut off.
The RSF originated from the Janjaweed, an Arab-dominated militia accused of committing genocide in Darfur two decades ago.
Reports since the fall of El Fasher have raised concerns about the repetition of similar atrocities.
Last month, the ICC convicted a feared Janjaweed leader of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur over two decades ago.
The ICC found Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, also known by the alias Ali Kushayb, guilty of various crimes, including rape, murder, and torture committed between August 2003 and at least until April 2004.
The OTP referred to this conviction, stating that it should serve as a reminder "that there will be accountability for such atrocious crimes."
The ICC maintains jurisdiction over allegations of crimes in the ongoing conflict in Darfur, despite challenges, and urges evidence to be submitted to its secure link.
ICC Chief Prosecutor, British lawyer Karim Khan, is currently on leave, facing allegations of sexual misconduct, which he has denied.
Deputy prosecutors have assumed the case load while the investigation is ongoing, as well as high-profile cases against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
The ICC has also issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Gaza genocide.
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