ICC warns that atrocities reported in El-Fasher may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity as fighting spreads into Kordofan. More than 36,000 civilians fled since October 26 and famine has reached El-Fasher and Kadugli, with 20 more areas at risk. Residents report rising troop movements around El-Obeid, the key logistics hub, and the UN says at least 50 civilians have been killed recently. The conflict has displaced nearly 12 million people despite international warnings.
ICC Warns El-Fasher Atrocities May Be War Crimes as Fighting Spreads into Kordofan
ICC warns that atrocities reported in El-Fasher may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity as fighting spreads into Kordofan. More than 36,000 civilians fled since October 26 and famine has reached El-Fasher and Kadugli, with 20 more areas at risk. Residents report rising troop movements around El-Obeid, the key logistics hub, and the UN says at least 50 civilians have been killed recently. The conflict has displaced nearly 12 million people despite international warnings.
22:48, 03.11.2025Conflict
ICC issues warning as violence and famine spread in Sudan
The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday warned that atrocities reported in El-Fasher, Sudan, could amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes, as United Nations agencies said thousands of civilians have fled surrounding areas and famine has spread to new locations.
Background
More than 36,000 civilians have left towns and villages in the Kordofan region between October 26 and last Friday, according to UN figures. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a powerful paramilitary group that seized El-Fasher — the army's last holdout in Darfur — has said it is massing along a new front line.
Civilian displacement and hunger
The Rome-based Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) had already declared famine in parts of South Kordofan and in three displacement camps around El-Fasher. On Monday it said famine has now reached El-Fasher itself and the besieged city of Kadugli, and warned that a further 20 areas across Darfur and Kordofan are at risk.
Military developments
Residents have reported major increases in both RSF and army forces across towns and villages in North Kordofan. The two sides are contesting El-Obeid — the state capital and a crucial logistics and command hub linking Darfur to Khartoum. Last week the RSF also claimed control of Bara, north of El-Obeid.
"The number of RSF vehicles increased," said Suleiman Babiker of Um Smeima, west of El-Obeid. "We stopped going to our farms, afraid of clashes."
International and UN response
The ICC prosecutor's office expressed "profound alarm and deepest concern" at reports of mass killings, rapes and other crimes in El-Fasher, warning such acts "may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity." The UN reported at least 50 civilians killed in recent clashes in North Kordofan, including five Red Crescent volunteers.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged the Muslim world to take action to stop the bloodshed, saying: "No one with a heart... can accept the recent massacres targeting civilians in El-Fasher. We cannot remain silent." Ankara has provided support to the Sudanese army during the conflict.
Wider impact
Both the RSF — which traces its origins to Janjaweed militias accused of atrocities in Darfur two decades ago — and the army face allegations of war crimes. In January, the United States concluded that "members of the RSF and allied militias have committed genocide in Sudan."
The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced nearly 12 million, and created one of the world’s largest displacement and hunger crises. International efforts to halt the fighting and protect civilians have so far failed to stop the deterioration of the humanitarian situation.