**The ICC's recent findings highlight significant humanitarian crises and escalating violence in Darfur, with sexual violence against women targeted as a weapon.**
**International Criminal Court Finds Evidence of War Crimes in Sudan**
**International Criminal Court Finds Evidence of War Crimes in Sudan**
**Evidence suggests severe human rights violations amidst ongoing civil war, says ICC Prosecutor**
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has declared it has “reasonable grounds” to believe that war crimes and crimes against humanity are being committed in Sudan’s Darfur region, where the ongoing civil war has devastated the area. On Thursday, ICC deputy prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan addressed the United Nations Security Council, emphasizing the unbearable humanitarian crisis that has unfolded.
Khan described a dire situation where individuals are facing severe shortages of food and water. Reports indicate that rape and sexual violence are being used as methods of war, while abductions for ransom or recruitment into armed factions are increasingly commonplace.
One alarming pattern noted in the ICC's findings is the systematic targeting of women and girls for sexual violence, primarily driven by their gender and ethnicity. Although Khan did not disclose which side is responsible for these atrocities, previous accusations of human rights violations have been leveled against both conflicting parties by the U.S., U.N., and various human rights organizations.
The war crimes determination follows the ICC’s collection of around 7,000 pieces of evidence, which includes victim testimonies. Investigators have conducted numerous trips to interview survivors and witnesses in refugee camps across Chad, where many have fled from the violence in Darfur.
Since erupting in April 2023, Sudan’s civil war has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, displacement of millions, and widespread famine, further deepening the humanitarian crisis in the region.
Khan described a dire situation where individuals are facing severe shortages of food and water. Reports indicate that rape and sexual violence are being used as methods of war, while abductions for ransom or recruitment into armed factions are increasingly commonplace.
One alarming pattern noted in the ICC's findings is the systematic targeting of women and girls for sexual violence, primarily driven by their gender and ethnicity. Although Khan did not disclose which side is responsible for these atrocities, previous accusations of human rights violations have been leveled against both conflicting parties by the U.S., U.N., and various human rights organizations.
The war crimes determination follows the ICC’s collection of around 7,000 pieces of evidence, which includes victim testimonies. Investigators have conducted numerous trips to interview survivors and witnesses in refugee camps across Chad, where many have fled from the violence in Darfur.
Since erupting in April 2023, Sudan’s civil war has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, displacement of millions, and widespread famine, further deepening the humanitarian crisis in the region.
