The war in Sudan

ICC prosecutor: Violence in Sudan may constitute war crimes

The ongoing suspected mass killings in Sudan's El Fashir may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have said, according to AFP.

The paramilitary group RSF took the city last week after 18 months of siege, bombing and starvation. There are also reports of murder, sexual violence, attacks on aid workers, looting and kidnappings.

"These abuses are part of a pattern of violence that has plagued the entire Darfur region since April 2023. If proven, they may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity," the ICC prosecutor's office wrote in a press release.

The El Fashir massacre – the case in point

• The paramilitary group RSF took control of El Fashir, the army’s last stronghold in Darfur, in late October 2025 after an 18-month siege.
• The UN and aid agencies reported massacres of civilians, with up to 500 people killed in a hospital and 2,000 civilians reportedly murdered in two days.
• The fighting has led to a humanitarian disaster with famine, cholera and over 14 million people displaced, particularly in the Darfur region.
• The UN has warned of a sharp increase in civilian deaths, with at least 3,300 civilians killed in the first half of 2025, mainly by air and drone strikes.
• The African Union and the UN have condemned war crimes in Sudan and called for international action, while foreign interference and arms flows are making a solution more difficult.