ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan KC appeals for information on international crimes in Darfur, Sudan

THE International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor Mr Karim Khan KC issued an urgent appeal today (Tuesday, 11 June 2024) in The Hague for information and evidence of atrocities in Darfur, Sudan, saying his ongoing investigation “seems to disclose an organised, systematic and a profound attack on human dignity.” Mr Khan called on international organisations, partners and national authorities to collect evidence and information and hand it over to him. View the appeal on video and two reports here below. 

Provide evidence and information to the ICC here: https://otplink.icc-cpi.int

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Also, follow along using a Transcript here: https://youtu.be/2D2DYptFW8st

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Report from The Washington Post

By MIKE CORDER, AP (The Associated Press)

Dated Tuesday, 11 June 2024 5:08 am EDT. Here is a full copy:

ICC prosecutor appeals for evidence of atrocities in Sudan after rebels attack hospital in Darfur

The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor is appealing for information and evidence of atrocities in Sudan’s western Darfur region

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor appealed Tuesday for information and evidence of atrocities in Sudan, saying his ongoing investigation “seems to disclose an organized, systematic and a profound attack on human dignity.”

ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan released a video statement in the aftermath of an attack Sunday by the notorious Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group that forced the closure of a main hospital in the western Darfur region. The group fired shots and looted the hospital in al-Fasher, aid group Doctors Without Borders reported.

The attack came as the RSF, which has been fighting the Sudanese army for a year, intensified its offensive seeking to wrest control of the city, the military’s last stronghold in the sprawling Darfur region. Two weeks of fighting last month in and around al-Fasher has killed more than 120 people.

“The terrible events in West Darfur, including El-Geneina, in 2023 are among our key investigative priorities,” Khan said. “In addition, I am extremely concerned about allegations of widespread international crimes being committed in al-Fasher and its surrounding areas as I speak.”

A long-running conflict

Sudan’s conflict began in April last year when soaring tensions between the leaders of the military and the RSF erupted into fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere in the country.

The war has killed more than 14,000 people and wounded thousands more, while pushing its population to the brink of famine. The U.N. food agency warned the warring parties last month that there is a serious risk of widespread starvation and death in Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan if they don’t allow humanitarian aid into the region.

The war also created the world’s largest displacement crisis as more than 10 million people have been forced to flee their homes, including over 2 million people who crossed into neighboring countries, the U.N. migration agency told The Associated Press Monday.

Khan said he is urgently investigating in Sudan.

“The evidence my office has collected to date seems to show credible, repeated, expanding, continuous allegations of attacks against the civilian population, in particular, attacks directed against camps for internally displaced persons,” he said.

“It seems to show the widespread, prevalent use of rape and other forms of sexual violence. It seems to disclose consistently the shelling of civilian areas, the looting of properties and attacks against hospitals,” he added, stressing that he was “particularly concerned by the ethnically motivated nature of these attacks against the Masalit and other communities.”

The ICC already has an ongoing investigation in Sudan

The ICC has long been investigating atrocities in Sudan, dating back to a previous devastating conflict in Darfur. The court has issued arrest warrants for former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on charges including genocide allegedly committed in Darfur between 2003-2008.

The RSF was born out of Arab militias, commonly known as Janjaweed, mobilized by al-Bashir against non-Arab tribes in Darfur. At the time, they were accused of mass killings, rapes and other atrocities, and Darfur became synonymous with genocide.

Khan referred back to the previous conflict in his message Tuesday.

“It is an outrage that we are allowing history to repeat itself once again in Darfur,” he said. “We cannot and we must not allow Darfur to become the world’s forgotten atrocity, once again.”

Photo [not shown here] caption: FILE - Sudanese soldiers from the Rapid Support Forces unit, led by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the deputy head of the military council, secure the area where Dagalo attends a military-backed tribe’s rally, in the East Nile province, Sudan, on June 22, 2019. The RSF, attacked the South Hospital in al-Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur province on Sunday, June 9, 2024 opening fire on medical staff and patients, Doctors Without Borders said in a statement. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

View original: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/06/11/sudan-icc-investigation-khan-rsf-darfur/2e3324a8-27d2-11ef-835a-2a6acac1f8a6_story.html

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Further Reading

From International Organisation for Migration (IOM) 11 June 2024:

DTM Sudan Mobility Update (02). IOM, Sudan

This report provides an overview of the total population of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Sudan, including those displaced both before and after the onset of conflict on 15 April 2023.  

See full report here: https://dtm.iom.int/reports/sudan-mobility-update-02

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UPDATE by Sudan Watch Editor 

On Wednesday, 12 June 2024 at 15:26 GMT:

The above video can be viewed at X in post by ICC 8:45AM June 11, 2024.

#ICC Prosecutor @KarimKhanQC announces campaign calling for information and cooperation in relation to allegations of international crimes being committed in #Darfur, Sudan, including in Al Fasher.

Info can be sent to #OTPLink:https://t.co/IYVUCvyWCA

Watch 👇 pic.twitter.com/H1sMPGB8jP

— Int'l Criminal Court (@IntlCrimCourt) June 11, 2024

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Calls for the international community to act and restart Saudi-US Jeddah process is a total abdication by Africa. AU & IGAD are ignoring starving Sudanese

FAMINE has arrived in Sudan. 5 million Sudanese are a step away from famine. Some experts predict 2.5 million could die within weeks. Millions of civilians in Sudan who fled for their lives ended up in such bad situations in South Sudan, Ethiopia and Egypt some had to return to Sudan while others were so hungry they ate leaves and ants. 800,000 lives are at stake in Al Fasher, North Darfur a place the UN calls "Hell on Earth" and where Hemeti plans to build his dream city. The continent of Africa comprising 54 countries is huge and rich. The leaders of the AU and IGAD are either bone idle lazy or corrupt barbarians or both. Here is a shocking Statement by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, 7 June 2024. It shows that millions of Sudanese people are being left to die.

Photo: The Chairperson of the Commission, H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat (Credit AUC)

Not a shred of indication that the AU is prepared to play a more active role in ending the conflict inside a member state that risks drawing in many more members. Calls for the international community to act and restart of Saudi-US Jeddah process is a total abdication by Africa. https://t.co/3rAMzJmHwb

— Cameron Hudson (@_hudsonc) June 7, 2024

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Tensions are soaring between Russia and the West. Confident Putin warns Europe is ‘defenceless’

TENSIONS are soaring between Russia and the West. Russian President Vladimir Putin sounds increasingly confident and determined not to back down. He seems to believe that in the current standoff between Russia and the West, it is the West that will blink first. Read more.

From BBC News
By STEVE ROSENBERG
Russia editor
Reporting from St Petersburg
Friday, 7 June 2024 - here is a full copy:

Confident Putin warns Europe is ‘defenceless’

Image source: EPA. Image caption: 

The Russian president's speech capped a surreal week in St Petersburg

Ever since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has been engaged in nuclear sabre-rattling, dropping a series of not-so-subtle hints that trying to defeat a nuclear power like Russia could have disastrous consequences for those who try.

Today President Putin claimed that Russia wouldn’t need to use a nuclear weapon to achieve victory in Ukraine.

He was being interviewed at a panel discussion at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum: the annual event often described as ‘Russia’s Davos’.

There are few occasions when Mr Putin looks dovish compared to the person asking him the questions.

But when the person asking the questions is Sergei Karaganov it would be hard not to. Mr Karaganov is a hawkish Russian foreign policy expert. Last year he called for a pre-emptive nuclear strike. Today he suggested holding a “nuclear pistol” to the temple of the West over Ukraine.

President Putin wasn’t so extreme in his language.

But he is no dove.

The Kremlin leader said he did not rule out changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine: the document which sets out the conditions under which Russia would use nuclear weapons.

“This doctrine is a living tool and we are carefully watching what is happening in the world around us and do not exclude making changes to this doctrine. This is also related to the testing of nuclear weapons.”

And he delivered a warning to those European countries who’ve been supporting Ukraine: Russia’s has “many more [tactical nuclear weapons] than there are on the European continent, even if the United States brings theirs over.”

“Europe does not have a developed [early warning system],” he added. “In this sense they are more or less defenceless.”

Tactical nuclear weapons are smaller warheads designed to destroy targets without widespread radioactive fallout.

This has been a surreal week in St Petersburg. On the one hand, a huge international economic forum has been taking place, sending the message that Russia is ready for cooperation and that, despite everything, it’s business as usual.

Clearly, though, it is not business as usual. Russia is waging war in Ukraine, a war which is now in its third year; as a result, Russia is the most heavily sanctioned country in the world.

And, right now, tensions are soaring between Russia and the West.

Earlier this week, at a meeting with international news agency chiefs in St Petersburg, President Putin suggested that Russia might supply advanced conventional long-range weapons to others to strike Western targets.

This was his response to Nato allies allowing Ukraine to strike Russian territory with Western-supplied weapons.

He repeated the idea again today.

“We are not supplying those weapons yet, but we reserve the right to do so to those states or legal entities which are under certain pressure, including military pressure, from the countries that supply weapons to Ukraine and encourage their use on Russian territory.”

There were no details. No names.

So, to which parts of the world might Russia deploy its missiles?

“Wherever we think it is necessary, we’re definitely going to put them. As President Putin made clear, we’ll investigate this question,” Vladimir Solovyov, one of Russian state TV’s most prominent hosts, tells me.

“If you are trying to harm us you have to be pretty sure we have enough opportunities and chances to harm you.”

“In the West some will say we’ve heard this sabre-rattling before,” I respond, “and that it’s a bluff.”

“It’s always a bluff. Until the time when it is not,” Mr Solovyov replies. “You can keep thinking that Russia is bluffing and then, one day, there is no more Great Britain to laugh at. Don’t you ever try to push the Russian bear thinking that ‘Oh, it’s a kitten, we can play with it.”

CEOs from Europe and America used to flock to the St Petersburg International Economic Forum. Not any more. Instead I saw delegations from Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America. Russia has been using this year’s event to try to show that, despite Western sanctions, there are plenty of countries in the world who are ready to do business with Russia.

And what have we learnt in St Petersburg about Vladimir Putin?

That he sounds increasingly confident and determined not to back down. He seems to believe that in the current standoff between Russia and the West, it is the West that will blink first.

View original: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn00e422yr2o

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Sudan confirms agreements with Russia for naval base in Red Sea. Previous deal allowed Russia to keep up to four navy ships including nuclear powered ones (UPDATE 1)

DEPUTY Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), states in a recent interview last Saturday, that Gen Burhan, Commander-in-Chief of SAF, signed agreements with Russia for a naval base. Surely the Russians know that any agreements signed by Sudan are rarely honoured. Read more.

From Radio Dabanga English
Dated Wed, 29 May 2024 - here is a full copy, plus two related reports:

Sudan general confirms Red Sea base deal with Russia, strengthens ties with Iran

Chairman of Sudan's Transitional Sovereignty Council Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan meets the Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov in Khartoum, February 9, 2023 (Sudan's Transitional Sovereignty Council)

Lt Gen Yasir El Atta, deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), states in a recent interview with Al Hadath News last Saturday, that Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, Commander-in-Chief of SAF, signed agreements with Russia for a naval base. El Atta apologised to the Sudanese people for military delays in Khartoum. Sudan and Iran are also strengthening bilateral cooperation following resumed diplomatic relations.

El Atta says that El Burhan will sign agreements with Russia soon. He states that Russia asked for a “supply point” on the Red Sea in exchange for supplying SAF with weapons and ammunition. “It is not a shame to give a military base to any country on the Red Sea with which we have brought together economic partnerships.”

In the same interview, for the first time, El Atta apologised to the Sudanese people, saying, “We apologise to the Sudanese people for any failure and we bear what is happening with all responsibility.”

Acknowledging the army’s delay in recovering a number of areas in Khartoum, “We were late in recovering Bahri and Khartoum for further preparation, but we are currently ready… We have 12 battalions of popular resistance made up of various backgrounds of the political spectrum,” in reference to SAF and its many militias under it. He mentioned that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) “wreaked havoc” in the areas left by the SAF. The SAF have been gaining victories in Omdurman since the start of the year, in part due to weapon and drone shipments from Iran.

Warm sea port 

The Russian government have been attempting to establish warm seaports globally and specifically the Red Sea. In February 2023, Sudan via El Burhan was ready to offer a Red Sea port to Russia in exchange for arms and other considerations. However, the war broke out in April between SAF and the RSF, putting the deal was put on hold indefinitely.

The previous 2021 deal, allowed Russia to keep up to four navy ships in the Red Sea, including nuclear powered ones. The agreement can be automatically extended for 10-year periods if none of the parties objected. Radio Dabanga cannot confirm whether these agreements still stand today.

Russian newspaper Pravda reports Russia may sign an agreement with the SAF for a weapons exchange to support a Russian logistics hub in Port Sudan on the Red Sea.

Growing geopolitical tensions 

Yesterday, the American magazine Newsweek warned the US of what it described as a new threat to its interests in the Red Sea, represented by Iran’s efforts to control the important waterway and the formation of a new ‘crescent’ that also threatens the interests of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Israel. The article further states how Iran is seeking to take advantage of the ongoing civil war in order to expand its military presence. 

The article examines how El Burhan aimed to align Sudan more closely with the west and remained wary of the Iranian regime. However, due to a lack of western support, has turned to Tehran for the necessary security assistance to combat the RSF. Iran quickly offered military aid in exchange for establishing a naval base on Sudan’s Red Sea coast, which, alongside its Houthi proxy bases in Yemen, would grant Iran significant control over a crucial global waterway.

However, Iran has denied attempting to entice Sudan to allow it to establish a naval base on the strategic Red Sea coast, a day after Sudan’s foreign ministry issued a similar denial. According to the report, Sudan rejected Iran’s offer for fear of angering the USA and Israel. But it is not clear how long Khartoum will be able to withstand Iranian pressure.

Sudan and Iranian foreign diplomats

The Sudan News Agency reports how Sudanese ambassador Hussein Ali, Minister of Foreign Affairs-designate for Iran, met last Saturday, with Iranian acting FA Minister Ali Bagheri, in Tehran. Arriving to convey condolences on behalf of the Sudanese government on the death of Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, FA Minister Hossein Abdul Lahian, and their peers in a helicopter crash last week. 

Bagheri expressed their deep thanks for the support and assistance they found following this painful event from the Sudanese leadership. The two sides held a session of talks on ways to launch cooperation between the two countries in various fields. This comes after the recent resumption of diplomatic relations between Sudan and Iran, the ambassadors seek to contribute pushing relations between the two countries at a rapid pace.

Rent prices skyrocket

As previously reported, residential property rents in Port Sudan have surged to unprecedented levels, according to reports previous Thursday. The soaring rental prices are attributed to the renewed Iranian diplomatic presence in the city. The Iranian embassy has rented 17 apartments in Port Sudan for its staff, driving up demand and costs. Iran has supplied the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) with Mohajer-6 drones, which experts believe have bolstered SAF operations in Omdurman.

Iranian ship Behshad, that allegedly serves as a 'spy ship' in the Red Sea for Iran's Revolutionary Guards (File photo: Akbar Tavakkoli / IRNA)

Iranian Navy destroyer Alborz, currently deployed in the Red Sea (Photo: Taznim news agency)

Original: https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/sudan-general-confirms-red-sea-base-deal-with-russia-strengthens-ties-with-iran

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Further Reading

From Sudan Watch - January 11, 2024:

The Maritime Executive - 09 December 2020

Russia Signs Deal With Sudan for Naval Base on the Red Sea - excerpt:

The agreement provides the Russian Navy with access to Port Sudan for a period of 25 years, with automatic renewal every decade thereafter. It may keep up to four naval vessels at a time at the port, including nuclear-powered vessels - an important consideration for Russia's submarine fleet. For logistics, Russian forces have permission to use Sudanese ports and airports to deliver any needed "weapons and equipment" to keep the port running. On-base manning is limited to 300 Russian personnel. 

In return, Russia will provide arms and training for Sudan's military, extending a role it already plays in the country. Last year, Russia and Sudan signed a seven-year agreement that provides the Sudanese government with military support, and Russian military advisors have participated in Sudanese public security operations. 

The Russian destroyer Vice Adm. Kulakov with a Russian fleet tug 

(file image courtesy Royal Navy)

Full story: https://maritime-executive.com/article/russia-signs-deal-with-sudan-for-naval-base-on-the-red-sea

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The Maritime Executive - 13 December 2017

Russia Moves Forward with Syrian Naval Base - excerpt:

"For Russia, a naval base in Syria . . . is always a place where Russian navy men can take a short rest and hold quick repairs, if necessary. Taking into account that the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions are of strategic importance for world security, Russian forces should stay here indefinitely," said Mikhail Nenashev, chairman of the All-Russian Fleet Support Movement, speaking to Pravda.

The base at Tartus has been under Russian control since 1971, and Russia finalized a 74-year renewal agreement with Syria in January with a 49-year lease followed by a 25-year automatic extension. The enlarged facility will operate outside of Damascus' legal jurisdiction, and Syria will not interfere with any military activities related to its operation. Separately, Russia has also renewed its lease on a military airbase in Western Syria for a period of 50 years. 

The port of Tartus. The Russian base's berths are at the top center of the image (Digital Globe)

Full story: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/russia-moves-forward-with-syrian-naval-base

Original: https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2024/01/sudan-janjaweed-rsf-militia-chief.html

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UPDATE 1 by Sudan Watch Editor 

On Wednesday, 12 June 2024 at 16:02 GMT UK:

Report published at Sudan Tribune

Dated Wednesday, 12 June 2024. Here is a full copy:

Russia denies deal for Sudan naval base

Soveriegn Council Head Abdel Fattah al-Burhan shakes hand with the visiting Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov on April 29,2024

ST PETERSBURG, June 12 – Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Mikhail Bogdanov, confirmed today that talks are ongoing with Sudan regarding a potential Russian base on the Red Sea, but denied any concrete agreement has been reached.

“Communication continues, but there are no firm agreements at this time, even between the defence ministries, to my knowledge,” said Bogdanov, who is also the special presidential envoy for the Middle East and Africa.

In 2019, the two countries agreed to build a logistical centre in Port Sudan. However, following a regime change, the transitional government’s military and civilian components decided to delay ratification until after the general elections.

Recently, several pro-military Sudanese commentators urged General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the ruling Sovereign Council, to finalize a deal with Russia regarding the naval base without imposing further conditions.

Additionally, Sudan’s Ambassador to Russia, Mohamed Siraj, reaffirmed his country’s commitment to establishing a Russian naval base on the Red Sea. In a June 1 interview with Sputnik, Siraj stated that a formal agreement for a logistical support centre has already been reached between the two nations.

Bogdanov expressed deep concern over the ongoing conflict in Sudan, emphasizing the urgent need for negotiations to end the bloodshed and prevent the country’s collapse.

“The situation threatens Sudan’s territorial integrity. We have consistently called for strengthening and unifying the country, and this can only be achieved through dialogue,” he said.

The diplomat affirmed Russia’s readiness to facilitate talks aimed at a swift resolution to the conflict, stating, “We support the Jeddah negotiations and Saudi Arabia’s mediation efforts, and are prepared to host meetings if requested.”

View original: https://sudantribune.com/article286891/

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