In an interview with Al Jazeera Net, an eyewitness who provided his testimony to the International Criminal Court (ICC) about the recent events in the Darfur region of Sudan said, “I saw them raping underage girls and throwing living children into the Kaja Valley filled with water.” Meanwhile, a leader from the Masalit sultanate (tribe) stated that the number of refugees and displaced persons has exceeded one million.
According to documents reviewed by Al Jazeera Net, the ICC has warned the warring parties and has begun gathering evidence of the serious violations in Darfur.
Local leaders report that the number of victims of massacres in West Darfur has surpassed 17,000, with approximately 2,000 individuals taken as prisoners. They also speak of numerous violations; one example is the body of the Masalit sultan’s brother, which remained exposed for 13 days, with any approach to it prevented, and there are still bodies that have not been buried, according to eyewitnesses.
In the following report, Al Jazeera Net opens up the bloody dossier in Sudan, attempting to shed light on the many dark areas regarding the violations that took place across various Sudanese regions, especially Darfur, by sources pointing the finger at the Rapid Support Forces.
ICC Investigates New Suspects
The ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan held a meeting in London organized by the Darfur Associations Union in the United Kingdom regarding the enforcement of international justice in the Darfur region, following the war that erupted in Sudan between the army and Rapid Support Forces in mid-April.
The meeting reopened the case of the bloody dossier and reopened the possibility for the ICC’s intervention in the daily crisis in Sudan. As per a statement seen by Al Jazeera Net from the Darfur Associations Union in the UK, Karim Khan informed them that he has officially started investigations into the events in Darfur following the outbreak of war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces. The investigations will be limited to the crimes committed within the Darfur region and will cover anyone who committed war crimes or crimes against humanity, according to the referral issued by the UN Security Council in March 2005.
The ICC Prosecutor has called on the attendees or anyone with information about these violations to inform the court, which has programs for witness protection.
Eyewitness Accounts
Al Jazeera Net spoke with a number of witnesses who gave their accounts to the ICC investigators in the Adre area of Chad. One of them, while holding back tears on June 16, following the killing of the West Darfur governor, said, “Our familiar earth became suffocating, and that morning I tried to cross to Ardmta area northeast of Geneina city, where the Sudanese army’s military garrison was located and which we hoped would protect us.”
He hesitated greatly when he learned that the Rapid Support Forces were inspecting those passing by. Finally, he entered a mango garden overlooking the inspection area. The narrative stops as though the events of that day still haunt him, and with tears pouring and a tremble in his voice, he continues, “I saw events unrivaled in human history. The Rapid Support Forces separated the women and girls, most of them minors, from their families amidst heavy gunfire to create an atmosphere of chaos and terror, then they began raping the girls collectively in public view, in front of the remaining families. Any protest would cost a bullet in the head or heart.”
The witness added that he saw two Rapid Support Forces soldiers throw four children alive into the water, and when their mother tried to respond to their cries for help from the depths of the water, she drowned along with her four children.
According to the witness, a number of bodies were thrown into the Kaja Valley, which is filled with water during the rainy season, and he mentioned that hundreds drowned there trying to escape death. He expressed fears that death would snatch him before he could see justice take its course.
The Masalit Speak Out
A leader of the Masalit tribe who resides in Geneina city, named Al-Farisheh Saleh Arbab, confirmed Al Jazeera Net the account previously mentioned by the witness, stating that they have recorded about 700 bodies thrown into the Kaja Valley river during the second half of June 2023.
Al-Farisheh, who gave his testimony to ICC investigators in the Adre area, offered some shocking figures, mentioning that the victims in West Darfur state alone during the recent war reached about 17,175 killed, along with 1,017 missing whose fate remains unknown to date. The number of prisoners, mostly from the Masalit tribe, is around 2,700, with about 700 of them released so far. As for the number of people who have fled the war hell in West Darfur state alone, it exceeds one million citizens who have completely left the production cycle and are now waiting for aid from humanitarian organizations.
Arbab, a member of the West Darfur State Humanitarian Violations Counting Committee, said they have identified 9 mass graves to date, with some victims buried alive, and that they have evidence to prove it.
He also mentioned that there are still bodies exposed in the open that have not been buried yet. He referred to the body of Tarik Bahar al-Din, brother of the Sultan and member of parliament, which remained exposed for 13 days, with Rapid Support Forces preventing family members from even approaching it.
Arbab confirmed that the committee possesses documents, evidence, and proofs of all these violations, which will be presented to the ICC investigators.
What Can the ICC Do?
Based on the documents reviewed by Al Jazeera Net, the ICC has actively been involved in this file under the mandate of the UN Security Council resolution issued in March 2005, which referred the investigation of Darfur crimes to the court. According to these documents, the Prosecutor General had informed the Security Council in July that investigations into serious human rights violations occurring in Darfur after the war began in April 2023 were underway, and the court had notified both warring sides of these investigations.
According to a number of witnesses who have provided statements to ICC investigators, the investigations started from July 5, 2023, mostly taking place in the city of Adre, which has received thousands of war escapees from West Darfur state. The investigations included, besides other issues, the killing of the governor of West Darfur state, Khamees Abkar, alongside sexual violence, rape, and mass killings based on ethnic identity.
What Happened to the Governor, and Who Killed Him?
The killing of the West Darfur state Governor, Khamees Abkar, on June 14 of the previous year, was one of the crimes that drew attention to the new Sudanese war tragedies. It was not only because of its brutality but also because it marked the beginning of the disintegration of social peace in the state.
The governor was carrying out his duties from within the city of Geneina, his state’s capital. Hours before his assassination, Abkar criticized the Rapid Support Forces in statements to a news channel.
According to a Sudanese army source who requested anonymity, the governor refused an offer from the city’s army leadership to relocate him to the military garrison headquarters, and he continued his duties at his government’s headquarters until the date of his assassination, which was racially motivated by what the source described as a Rapid Support Forces militia.
Arbab provided additional information confirming that the governor was arrested by the Rapid Support Forces, and it was General Abdurrahman Jumah Barka Allah, the force’s commander in West Darfur, who personally led him into their headquarters.
He also said that the governor was executed inside the Rapid Support Forces headquarters by 13 bullets to his body. The US State Department had indicated in September last year that the force detaining Abkar was led by Barka Allah, which was a claim denied by the general, suggesting that outraged individuals pursued the governor’s car heading towards Chadian territory.
In this context, the Spokesperson for the Rapid Support Forces, Colonel Al-Fateh Qureshi, stated to Al Jazeera Net that the commander of the Rapid Support Forces had formed an investigation committee into this matter and that he refrains from commenting on an ongoing investigation.
Other Parties Investigate
According to a well-informed Sudanese diplomatic source, the UN Expert Committee has started investigations into potential genocides committed in Darfur and promised to comment later on this, in response to Al Jazeera Net’s contacts. Additionally, the Sudanese Public Prosecutor has formed a local committee to monitor any crimes committed by the Rapid Support Forces during the current war.
The US State Department announced sanctions in September against Rapid Support Forces Deputy Commander Lieutenant General Abdul Rahim Daglo, who is the older brother of Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti”, and General Bark Allah. More sanctions were announced in December against Salah Gosh and General Mohammed Atta, former heads of the Sudanese Intelligence Service during Omar al-Bashir’s government, including Lieutenant General Taha Al-Hussein, who was the director of the ousted president’s office but is now considered an ally of Hemedti. Subsequent sanctions also included Ali Ahmed Karti, the Secretary-General of the Islamic Movement in Sudan, suspected of obstructing efforts for settlement in the country.
The course of international investigations and US sanctions indicate that the internationalization of the justice file in Sudan has already begun. Hatem Al-Fadhil, a Sudanese refugee at the Adre camps, pointed out that many international human rights organizations have reached the refugee camps in the Adre region and listened to the victims and the witnesses.
Key Suspects Identified
A member of the West Darfur State Humanitarian Violations Committee shared that based on witness accounts and other evidence, they have identified the main suspects of violations in West Darfur. The list includes military leaders of the Rapid Support Forces, particularly the second-in-command, General (Daglo) and General Bark Allah, along with four tribal leaders working under the banner of the Executive Office of Arab Tribes in West Darfur. This group includes Masar Abdul Rahman Aseel, Abdul Rahman Mohamed Jumah, Taher Ali Abdullah, and Tejanie Barka, as well as the deputy governor of West Darfur, Tejanie Karshoum. The source claims they possess reliable video clips and testimony from trustworthy witnesses regarding the roles these individuals have played. Al Jazeera Net could not establish contact with any individuals listed, due to communication difficulties in Darfur states. Reuters previously reported similar information in a publish on December 28 last year.
Could the Investigation Complicate the Settlement Process?
Mohamed Hassan Awad Allah, the Assistant Secretary of the Arab Lawyers Union, told Al Jazeera Net that the ICC is competent from several aspects since the Security Council previously referred the Darfur file to the court through resolution number 1539. The resolution is still in force, and the ICC has original jurisdiction over war crimes, genocides, and human rights violations.
Cameron Hudson, a former official in the special envoy’s office for Sudan, wrote on X-Platform that the ICC will soon bring charges against the leader of the Rapid Support Forces, which will have a significant impact on the ongoing war in the country.
Abdullah Abu Gurda, the head of the Darfur Associations Union, emphasized the need for the ICC’s investigations to include Arab countries that participated in the recent ethnic cleansing against the African tribes in Darfur.
The ICC’s Prosecutor refrained from answering a question at a meeting with the Darfur Associations Union held yesterday in London about whether the investigation will include foreigners such as Palestinian Mohammad Dahlan, who is believed to be involved in fueling the war in Darfur.
There are concerns that the international justice intervention could complicate peaceful settlement efforts in Sudan, especially if the charges involve higher-up leaders from both warring sides, potentially making them cling to power to avoid international prosecution, as was the case with al-Bashir and some of his regime’s figures who had arrest warrants issued by the ICC in 2007.
Sudanese journalist Osman Mirghani, in his statement to Al Jazeera Net, noted that the ICC began investigating crimes committed in the city of Geneina during the early months of the war, based on reports from international organizations revealing systematic massacres by the Rapid Support Forces and affiliated militias.
Mirghani suggested that the ICC’s procedures appear to be complete, enabling them to announce a list of the accused, which includes the commander of the Rapid Support Forces and his deputy, the commander of the Geneina sector, and others.
He inferred that the delay in announcing the list is due to international and regional efforts to end the war in Sudan.
Mirghani assured that the ICC’s procedures would weaken the chances for the Rapid Support Forces’ leaders to play a political role in Sudan’s future, especially in light of repeated reports from organizations and Western media, already condemning the force.
While many observers fear that international justice intervention might complicate and hinder peaceful settlement efforts, some believe that the policy of no impunity is the essential guarantee for peace in Sudan and the entire region.
