Systematic rape and sexual violence are used as “weapons of war” in Darfur according to the International Criminal Court (ICC) as part of a larger investigation into conflict in Sudan.
Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Khan told ambassadors to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) the Hague headquartered ICC has “reasonable grounds to believe” war crimes and crimes against humanity are being committed in the region, where conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) plunged the region into a humanitarian disaster zone.
Among the disturbing patterns, she said, is the targeted use of sexual violence, including rape, abduction and gender-based assault – a campaign often directed at women and girls from specific ethnic communities.
There is an inescapable pattern of offending, targeting gender and ethnicity through rape and sexual violence, Khan said, stressing offences must be translated into evidence for the ICC and the world to hear.
She detailed ongoing efforts by the ICC’s Darfur unified team to document atrocities, including repeated field missions to refugee camps in Chad, the collection of seven thousand plus items of evidence and enhanced co-operation with civil society and victims’ groups.
Khan emphasised a renewed focus on gender crimes, supported by the ICC dedicated gender unit, and called on all partners to work at ensuring “there is no gap in efforts to hold perpetrators accountable”.
At the same time, the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said convoys are targeted, hospitals bombed and food and water deliberately withheld in other disturbing developments in the strife-torn country.
In early June, five humanitarian workers were killed in an ambush in North Darfur, while airstrikes in West Kordofan killed over 40 civilians, including patients and healthcare staff.
In El Fasher, the North Darfur capital, shelling and armed encirclement by RSF forces cut civilians off from lifesaving assistance. Reports of extortion and diversion of aid in surrounding areas further compound the crisis.
An outbreak of cholera is spreading across conflict zones, with Darfur now experiencing cross-border transmission into Chad and South Sudan. Health officials warn the ongoing rainy season could worsen the epidemic contaminating already-scarce water sources.
Alongside humanitarian challenges in Sudan, the ICC faces formidable obstacles, according to Khan.
She noted obstruction and hostility towards investigators on the ground, under-funding, limited co-operation from some States and difficulties with arrest and transfer of individuals under ICC warrants.
Challenges aside, she affirmed the ICC commitment to justice pointing to the pending verdict in the trial of Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, aka Ali Kushayb, as “a milestone for accountability”. At the same time the verdict will be a warning to perpetrators who believe themselves beyond the reach of international law.
“They should understand – we are working intensively to ensure this trial is the first of many,” she is quoted as saying in a UN report.
The post Sexual violence increasingly a weapon of war in Darfur – ICC Deputy Prosecutor appeared first on defenceWeb.
