The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor’s office has warned that the atrocities reportedly committed in the Sudanese city of El-Fasher could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) expressed “profound alarm and deepest concern” over reports of mass killings, rapes, looting, and other abuses following the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) takeover of the city on October 26, 2025.
El-Fasher, the last army stronghold in Sudan’s western Darfur region, fell to the RSF after 18 months of siege, bombardment, and starvation, marking a grim escalation in the country’s conflict.
“These atrocities are part of a broader pattern of violence that has afflicted the entire Darfur region since April 2023,” the prosecutor’s office stated.
“Such acts, if substantiated, may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute,” it added.
According to the United Nations, more than 65,000 people have fled El-Fasher, while tens of thousands remain trapped amid reports of executions, sexual violence, and attacks on aid workers.
The RSF, which evolved from the notorious Janjaweed militia accused of genocide in Darfur two decades ago, has been linked to widespread atrocities since the city’s fall.
Last month, the ICC convicted Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, a former Janjaweed leader, of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur between 2003 and 2004.
Referencing that ruling, the OTP warned that it “should serve as a reminder that there will be accountability for such atrocious crimes.”
The ICC reaffirmed its jurisdiction over the Darfur conflict and urged witnesses to submit evidence through its secure channels.
Meanwhile, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan is currently on leave amid sexual misconduct allegations, which he denies. His deputy prosecutors are overseeing ongoing investigations, including those related to Sudan, former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—who faces ICC warrants for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
