Hague Prosecutor Urges UN to Seek Justice for Sudanese In Darfur

The International Criminal Court's Karim Khan recently visited the region and met with internally displaced people in Darfur, whom he said are "tired of promises". In a Security Council briefing on August 23, 2022 the chief prosecutor urged the UN Security Council to do more to deliver justice for the people of Darfur.

He called for the council to hold a session on Sudan, adding that if members heard directly from those still living in Darfur's internally displaced people camps, it would "reawaken our commitment to humanity."

Khan's briefing was the first time an ICC prosecutor addressed the Security Council while in a country where the court is pursuing justice.

The first ICC trial to do with the atrocities in Darfur kicked off in April 2022 in The Hague. The defendant was Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, who was a leader in the Arab Janjaweed militia. He pleaded innocent to all 31 charges of war crimes.

Meanwhile, deposed leader Omar al-Bashir faces charges of genocide and crimes against humanity from his time as president. Two of his top officials at the time, former interior minister Abdel-Rahim Muhammad Hussein and former security chief Ahmed Haroun, have also been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity by the ICC.

Khan has now requested a meeting with former president Omar al-Bashir.The ousted dictator, already indicted by the ICC on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, was also investigated on charges under Sudan's Foreign Exchange Law and money laundering, after Sudanese authorities seized a substantial amount of cash during a search of his residence in Khartoum last year.