A representative of the Office of the Prosecutor told the United Nations Security Council that investigators have "reasonable grounds to believe that war crimes and crimes against humanity have been and are continuing to be committed in Darfur," and urged stronger cooperation from Sudan to secure arrest warrants currently outstanding in the country.
The prosecutor's office said hospitals, humanitarian convoys and other civilian objects appear to be targeted, that famine is escalating and that humanitarian aid is not reaching people in dire need. "People are being deprived of water and food," the representative said, and warned that the situation could deteriorate further.
The prosecutor's office described a six-month investigative effort centered on West Darfur that included repeated field deployments to refugee camps in Chad to interview victims and witnesses, and engagement with Sudanese authorities, including a recent visit to Port Sudan. The office said it has collected more than 7,000 evidence items to date and has secured an enhanced cooperation framework with the United Nations fact-finding mission in Sudan to accelerate investigations.
The office highlighted gender-based crimes as a specific investigative priority and described steps taken to improve documentation and support for victims, including dedicated discussions in Chad, new specialist expertise allocated to the Darfur Unified Team and outreach with Darfuri civil society. The representative said these steps are intended to strengthen the quality of evidence presented to the International Criminal Court.
The briefing cited the ongoing trial of Ali Mohammed Ali Abdul Rahman, also known in the transcript as Ali Qusheib, noting an upcoming decision expected in the second half of the year and saying the office hopes that trial will be the first of many. The office reiterated a duty of confidentiality to the court and said it could not disclose further investigative details publicly.
On cooperation, the representative said the prosecutor's office has engaged Sudanese authorities and recognized the efforts of a Sudanese committee established to work with the office. The office called for the arrest and transfer to the court of individuals subject to ICC arrest warrants "presently in Sudan," naming in the transcript Omar Hassan, Ahmed al Bashir, Ahmed Haroun and Abdul Raheem Mohammed Hussain and saying that transferring Haroun would carry "exceptional weight" because alleged crimes linked to him relate closely to charges already before the court.
The representative concluded by appealing for more resources and cooperation, saying the office's resources are "critically low relative to the scale of allegations" and asking states on the Council to support collective action that would both deliver justice and help prevent further atrocities. The speaker thanked Under-Secretary-General Pramila Patten for constructive discussions and also thanked "deputy prosecutor Khan" for her briefing.
The statement combined summaries of investigative activity, requests for cooperation, and a prioritization of gender-based crimes, and distinguished between ongoing investigations, outreach and cooperation efforts, and the office's limited public disclosures driven by court confidentiality.