Sudan: ICC's Work Vital for Justice in Darfur

Prosecutor Briefs UN Security Council Amid US Attacks on the Court

On January 19, International Criminal Court (ICC) Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan briefed the United Nations Security Council on her office's ongoing investigation in Darfur, Sudan.

Deputy Prosecutor Khan had to attend the briefing remotely after not being granted a visa to brief the Council in person in New York City. That decision came in the wake of the Trump administration's sanctions imposed against a number of ICC officials, including Khan in 2025.

The briefing took place as the situation in Darfur continues to deteriorate. In October 2025, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out mass killings and other grave abuses in North Darfur's capital, El Fasher. Khan reported to the Council her office's findings of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in El Fasher by the RSF during its siege and control of the city, warning that RSF is replicating a "pattern of atrocities" in different parts of Darfur. Khan also called onstates to provide "additional assistance and investment of resources" to support the court's investigative work in Darfur.

The office of the prosecutor has been investigating serious crimes in Darfur since 2005, following a referral by the Security Council. In 2025, 20 years after the referral, the ICC convicted Ali Kosheib, a former leader of the "Janjaweed," a militia created by the government of former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, on numerous counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur in 2003-2004. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

This long-awaited conviction provided the first opportunity for victims in Darfur to see a measure of justice before the ICC. With the current impunity-fueled conflict in Sudan, the ICC has a vital role in bringing further justice. The US sanctions, however, risk undermining the court's ability to carry out its global mandate.

After Khan's briefing, ICC members on the Security Council jointly noted with regret Khan's inability to brief them in person and reiterated their commitment to safeguard the principles enshrined in the court's founding treaty.

Security Council and ICC members should stand by their words and redouble efforts to support and protect the court, including by taking concrete steps to ensure continuation of the court's critical work, providing adequate resources, and urging the Trump administration to revoke its ICC-related sanctions regime.

Tamara Aburamadan, Counsel, International Justice Program

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