Showing posts with label Karim Asad Ahmad Khan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Karim Asad Ahmad Khan. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Sudan: ICC believes war crimes & crimes against humanity are taking place now in Darfur. 5 killed in aid convoy attack. Fighting intensifies in Kordofan

ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan told the Security Council in January that there were grounds to believe both government forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Force, may be committing war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide in Darfur. 

Deputy prosecutor Shameem Khan, who is not related, said the ICC has closely tracked reports in recent weeks of the dire situation in North Darfur, whose capital El Fasher is besieged by RSF and their affiliates.


The RSF, which controls the capitals of all other states in Darfur, has also attacked famine-hit Zamzam and other camps for displaced Sudanese in North Darfur.


“On the basis of our independent investigations, the position of our office is clear, we have reasonable grounds to believe that war crimes and crimes against humanity have been and are continuing to be committed in Darfur,” Khan told the council.


This conclusion, she said, is based on documentary, testimonial and digital evidence collected by ICC investigators during the past six months, including at refugee camps in neighboring Chad. Over 7,000 items of evidence have been collected to date, she said.


Khan emphasized to the council and to victims that the ICC considers the situation in Darfur “of the utmost importance” and will not be deterred until justice is delivered to the perpetrators.


Khan said those in Darfur now “inflicting unimaginable atrocities on its population” should know that while they may feel a sense of impunity, Janjaweed leader Ali Kushayb is currently on trial and the ICC hopes it will be the first of many.


“However, we also have a duty of confidentiality to the court,” Khan said. “I am not able to share more details of the nature of our progress or of specific outcomes hoped for. I can only assure you that the progress we have made is concrete, positive and significant.”


Read more in this report from The Associated Press
BY EDITH M. LEDERER
Dated 11 July 2025; 12:22 AM BST - full copy:

ICC believes war crimes and crimes against humanity are taking place now in Sudan’s Darfur region

The United Nations flag flies on a stormy day at the U.N. during the United Nations General Assembly, Sept. 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)

This June 2023 photo provided by the World Food Program shows internally displaced persons at the Wad Almajzoub farm camp in Wad Medani, Gezira state, Sudan. (Ala Kheir/U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs via AP)


UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The International Criminal Court believes war crimes and crimes against humanity are continuing to take place in Sudan’s vast western Darfur region where civil war has raged for more than two years, the tribunal’s deputy prosecutor said Thursday.


Nazhat Shameem Khan told the U.N. Security Council that the depth of suffering and the humanitarian crisis in Darfur “has reached an intolerable state,” with famine escalating and hospitals, humanitarian convoys and other civilian infrastructure being targeted.


“People are being deprived of water and food,” she said. “Rape and sexual violence are being weaponized. Abductions for ransom or to bolster the ranks of armed groups have become common practice.”


“And yet we should not be under any illusion,” Shameem Khan warned the U.N.’s most powerful body. “Things can still get worse.”


Sudan plunged into conflict in mid-April 2023, when long-simmering tensions between its military and paramilitary leaders broke out in the capital, Khartoum, and spread to other regions, including Darfur. Some 40,000 people have been killed and nearly 13 million displaced, including to other countries, according to U.N. agencies.


ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan told the Security Council in January that there were grounds to believe both government forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Force, may be committing war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide in Darfur.


The Biden administration, just before it left office in January, determined that the RSF and its proxies were committing genocide.


Karim Khan has stepped down temporarily as the ICC chief prosecutor pending the outcome of an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, which he categorically denies.


Deputy prosecutor Shameem Khan, who is not related, said the ICC has closely tracked reports in recent weeks of the dire situation in North Darfur, whose capital El Fasher is besieged by RSF and their affiliates.


The RSF, which controls the capitals of all other states in Darfur, has also attacked famine-hit Zamzam and other camps for displaced Sudanese in North Darfur.


“On the basis of our independent investigations, the position of our office is clear, we have reasonable grounds to believe that war crimes and crimes against humanity have been and are continuing to be committed in Darfur,” Khan told the council.


This conclusion, she said, is based on documentary, testimonial and digital evidence collected by ICC investigators during the past six months, including at refugee camps in neighboring Chad. Over 7,000 items of evidence have been collected to date, she said.


Khan emphasized to the council and to victims that the ICC considers the situation in Darfur “of the utmost importance” and will not be deterred until justice is delivered to the perpetrators.


Two decades ago, Darfur became synonymous with genocide and war crimes, particularly by the notorious Janjaweed Arab militias, against populations that identify as Central or East African. Up to 300,000 people were killed and 2.7 million were driven from their homes.


Khan said those in Darfur now “inflicting unimaginable atrocities on its population” should know that while they may feel a sense of impunity, Janjaweed leader Ali Kushayb is currently on trial and the ICC hopes it will be the first of many.


“However, we also have a duty of confidentiality to the court,” Khan said. “I am not able to share more details of the nature of our progress or of specific outcomes hoped for. I can only assure you that the progress we have made is concrete, positive and significant.”


Related reports

Fighting intensifies in Sudan's Kordofan region

Full story: https://apnews.com/article/sudan-kordofan-rapid-support-forces-humanitarian-crisis-574e767ae69562ab05d6a9d2e5bee1b5

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An attack on an aid convoy in Sudan's Darfur region kills 5, UN says

Full story: https://apnews.com/article/sudan-war-military-rsf-darfur-3403f58cde929bea2cc0a0036985da05

__________


Sudanese fleeing war are at risk of worsening hunger, UN warns

Full story: https://apnews.com/article/sudan-famine-hunger-refugees-un-darfur-conflict-bc3cc8260e92191078506849796f4072

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View original: https://apnews.com/article/sudan-darfur-icc-war-crimes-humanity-khan-e54744adc5b0a06eb6a44fe94d72683d


End

Thursday, May 16, 2024

FULL FILM: Praying for Armageddon. US foreign policy in Middle East is influenced by evangelicals

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: This post, along with yesterday's at Sudan Watch, is the most important one since the site began 21 years ago.


In 2003, I used blogging technology to investigate the root causes of poverty and extreme poverty in Sudan and the reasons for genocide and man’s inhumanity to man. The two posts now answer those questions for me.


The magnitude of those posts cannot be fully appreciated unless the email and the letter of 24 April 2024 featured in yesterday's post are seen together with the documentary film Praying for Armageddon.


As most readers of Sudan Watch are located across the world, I doubt many can access BBC iPlayer where one has to sign in as a BBC Licence fee payer, I am grateful to Al Jazeera English for posting the full film (see below) in two parts (totalling 88 mins) to YouTube for free viewing and comments.


More on this later when I've been able to identify more pieces of the puzzle. Meanwhile, with respect to American evangelical fundamentalists and the US Government their praying for Armageddon started many years ago.

Poster: Courtesy UpNorth Film
"The poster is a literal presentation of what some of the Evangelical fundamentalists believe, that Jesus will return as a warrior with an AR-15. As they interpret the Armageddon prophecy literally they believe Jesus will come down from the heavens on a white horse. This symbolizes the beginning of Armageddon." -Tonje Hessen Schei, the director of the film
_______________________

OFFICIAL TRAILER: Praying for Armageddon 
A documentary film by UpNorth Film
Posted to YouTube by UpNorth Film 
Premiered on 15 March 2023 


Description of Official Trailer posted by UpNorth Film at its website:


The Countdown to Armageddon has begun. As biblical prophecy fuels political power, American Evangelicals threaten U.S. democracy and push for the Apocalypse in the Middle East. Praying for Armageddon uncovers how politicians driven by faith embrace Israel as the key to their prophetic vision for the end of days – at any cost – ultimately escalating the spirals of violence in the Middle East.


Director Tonje Hessen Schei; Co-Director and DOP Michael Rowley; Producer Christian Aune Falch; Producer Torstein Parelius; Producer Ingrid Aune Falch; Editor Torkel Gjørv; Composer Lukas Berkemar, Uno Helmersson; Co-Producer Ove Rishøj Jensen; Co-Producer Magnus Gertten; Co-Producer Hans Robert Eisenhauer; Co-Producer Kaarle Aho.

___


Credits posted at YouTube by Al Jazeera English:

World premiere at CPH:DOX 2023 in competition for the F:ACT Award.

www.prayingforarmageddon.com

www.facebook.com/prayingforarmageddon

www.upnorthfilm.no

SUPPORTED BY CREATIVE MEDIA EUROPE


Transcript

Follow along using the transcript at YouTube here: https://youtu.be/75ehG6utzBM


_______________________

FULL FILM: Praying for Armageddon (Part 1 of 2)

A documentary film by Tonje Hessen Schei UpNorth Film

Posted to YouTube by Al Jazeera English 1 month ago [April 2024] 



Description by Al Jazeera English posted beneath the film:


Why evangelicals influence US foreign policy in the Middle East | EP1 | Witness Documentary


The first episode of Praying for Armageddon goes inside the evangelical Christian movement to explore its influence on US democracy and foreign policy.


Preparing for the "end times", a grassroots pastor gathers an army of veterans in the heartland of the United States, and megachurch ministers provide spiritual advice to politicians in the nation’s capital.


They call for the "final battle" which they believe will trigger the second coming of Christ. Central to their apocalyptic prophecy is Israel. It is with their blessing that the Trump administration controversially recognises Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moves the US embassy there in 2018.


“It feels like everyone has a say about the destiny and the future of Jerusalem except for the Palestinians living in it,” says Palestinian activist Fayrouz Sharqawi.


Transcript

Follow along using the transcript at YouTube here: https://youtu.be/IhT7oyDlBIk

_______________________


FULL FILM: Praying for Armageddon (Part 2 of 2)

A documentary film by Tonje Hessen Schei UpNorth Film

Posted to YouTube by Al Jazeera English 21 March 2024



Description by Al Jazeera English posted beneath the film:


How evangelicals influence US foreign policy in the Middle East | EP2 | Witness Documentary


The second episode of Praying for Armageddon examines the dangerous consequences of the fusion between evangelical Christians and US politics.


It shows not only how the very fabric of US democracy is weakened but also highlights the devastating impact religion wields on US foreign policy.


Expressing concerns about the influence of evangelical Christians in the US military, retired US Army Colonel Larry Wilkerson who was a former adviser to General Colin Powell, says: “The most vivid danger in all of this, I think, is the special relationship with Israel… They are looking for the US relationship with Israel, ultimately to bring about Armageddon and the rapture and Christ’s thousand-year reign.”


As evangelicals fuel the volatile situation in the Middle East, Israel launches a devastating 11-day military offensive on Gaza in May 2021.


“The countdown to Armageddon has begun,” says Pastor Robert Jeffress.


Transcript

Follow along using the transcript at YouTube here: https://youtu.be/_iQhbcOgfqw


END

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

A letter from US Republican Senators directly threatening the ICC Prosecutor: “You have been warned” “Target Israel and we will target you”

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: Two posts at X copied here below shocked me to my core. I hope they are fake. If they are real, they show the mindset and arrogance of many US politicians and why America is so disliked.

On BBC FOUR iPlayer a documentary film series Storyville is introduced as “amazing, shocking, inspiring and award-winning - the best in international documentaries, shining a light on untold stories from across the globe.” 


One of the films in the series is called Praying for Armageddon. I watched it yesterday, all 88 minutes of it. A description posted beneath the film says:


“Praying for Armageddon is a political thriller that explores the power and influence of American Evangelical Christians as they aim to fulfil the Armageddon prophecy.


The film observes American believers as they prepare for what they call The Holy War and exposes the powerful megachurch pastors who call for the 'final battle' that they believe will trigger the Second Coming of Christ. 


Completed before the current crisis in Israel and Gaza, it also unveils how politicians driven by faith embrace the State of Israel as the key to their prophetic vision for the end of days.” 


I say, it is a must-see and an eye opener into the mentality and attitudes of many Americans including politicians in Washington and ex-POTUS Trump. 


After watching the film, I thought about the two posts mentioned above. Here are the copies. Hopefully, readers can magnify the text to read the content well enough and get a feel of the tone and its sense of entitlement. 


The posts and film are good examples of how the US even after 9/11 can't see itself the way the world sees it. I can't be the only person astonished at the high level of aggressiveness and superiority and the fact that the letter and email are in print for everyone to see. The USA is not even in the Bible.


Source: Dr Lens Veritatis @LensVeritatis post at X 3:13 PM · May 6, 2024

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