With the situation in Sudan fast deteriorating, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has vowed to hunt down perpetrators of crimes in the Darfur region that has, in his words, experienced “six months of misery” and “a profound human tragedy”.
Presenting his latest report on the situation in Darfur covering the last six months, ICC prosecutor, Karim Khan, told the UN Security Council that it has been “six months of misery, six months of torment, a terrible six months for the people of Darfur,” characterized by increased reports of rape, crimes against children, and vulnerable civilians. Describing Darfur as a “very bleak place,” Khan nonetheless noted “some progress” that has been outlined in the report, particularly because the ICC is “investigating” those who are “aiding and abetting” those responsible for the ongoing conflict in Darfur.
In early June, the ICC prosecutor said he was “particularly concerned by the ethnically motivated nature” of attacks on civilian populations, especially in the western Darfur region and called on people to provide evidence so the ICC could investigate further.
“The information being collected by my office on a daily basis from Darfur seems to disclose an organized, systematic and a profound attack on human dignity, and I believe based upon the information we are receiving that we are on the precipice of something even worse,” Khan said. This week, he stressed that “the ICC is not a talk shop,” expressing hope that in his next report, he “will be able to announce applications for warrants of arrest regarding those, or some of those individuals that are the most responsible for what we’re seeing at the moment.”