The International Criminal Court has warned that war crimes and crimes against humanity are being committed in Sudan’s Darfur region, citing systematic rape, sexual violence and the deliberate denial of food and water to civilians. Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan told the United Nations Security Council that the Court has “reasonable grounds to believe” atrocities are ongoing and described the humanitarian situation as having reached “an intolerable state.” Khan said ICC investigators have gathered more than 7,000 pieces of documentary, testimonial and digital evidence during recent missions to refugee camps in neighbouring Chad. The Court’s gender unit has documented an “inescapable pattern” of sexual violence directed at women and girls, often along ethnic lines, and abductions for ransom or recruitment by armed groups. The conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which erupted in April 2023, has killed about 40,000 people and displaced almost 13 million, according to UN agencies. El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, remains besieged by RSF forces, while aid convoys, hospitals and water supplies are being targeted. Khan urged governments to cooperate with arrest warrants and warned perpetrators that the pending verdict in the trial of former Janjaweed commander Ali Kushayb “should be the first of many.”