ICC's deputy prosecutor says court has achieved a breakthrough in its Darfur war crimes investigation

Summary

The International Criminal Court's deputy prosecutor Nazhat Khan said on July 9 that the court has achieved a breakthrough in its investigation into war crimes committed in Darfur, Sudan. The ICC has obtained new evidence linking Rapid Support Forces leaders to alleged atrocities, the BBC reported from a direct ICC disclosure. The Irish Times reports UN experts have separately concluded that crimes in 2023 and 2025 attacks bear "hallmarks of genocide." Middle East Eye notes that Khan's comments are her first since MEE revealed the ICC had shelved an RSF arrest warrant, suggesting the court is responding to pressure after that disclosure. The ICC has been investigating Darfur atrocities for three years, across the ongoing Sudan civil war that has killed tens of thousands.

The split

Western outlets (BBC via Yahoo, Irish Times) frame the breakthrough primarily as a legal development with humanitarian implications. Middle East Eye provides the most critical framing, placing Khan's statement in the context of the shelved RSF warrant and reading it as a political reassertion of the investigation's relevance. OkayAfrica, covering it as part of African news, gives it less prominence. South African legal site Polity.org.za's coverage points to the story's resonance across the continent, where ICC legitimacy remains contested.

By the numbers

• 3 years, the ICC has been investigating Darfur atrocities during Sudan's civil war
• 2023 and 2025, years of Darfur attacks UN experts say bear genocide hallmarks
• 1, RSF arrest warrant reportedly shelved by the ICC (per MEE's prior reporting)

Why it matters

The Darfur investigation is one of the ICC's most politically exposed: Sudan is not a member of the Rome Statute, meaning any prosecution requires UN Security Council referral, where Russia and China can veto. A breakthrough in evidence is legally significant, but the path to actual prosecution remains heavily dependent on great-power politics. The shelved RSF warrant, now referenced publicly by the prosecutor's office, suggests internal pressure to keep the dossier alive as RSF forces continue operations in Darfur.

What to watch

• Whether the ICC formally issues or reinstates an RSF arrest warrant
• Sudan Security Council dynamics and any Russian or Chinese veto manoeuvre
• UN genocide determination process following the expert characterisation
• RSF leadership responses to the ICC announcement