The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) chief prosecutor told the UN Security Council on Monday that “there are grounds to believe” that Sudan’s military is committing war crimes in Darfur.

In his address to the UN, Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan stated that 1 in 3 people in affected areas in Chad are refugees from Sudan. He highlighted concern that Chad and the UN are unable to respond to this influx of refugees. Khan warned the UN that “there is a real risk it can expand in the most profound way,” stating that other countries could become involved in the conflict if it continues. He calls for the UN to take action, stating that “we are fast approaching a breaking point and the conflict in Sudan demands your attention now more than ever.”

The Darfur war began in 2003. The ICC opened investigations on the situation in 2005 after it was referred to them by the UN Security Council in Resolution 1593. The conflict received accusations of genocide against non-arab citizens by both the EU and the US State Department. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned both sides of the Sudan conflict for committing war crimes. Global Conflict Tracker states that amongst this conflict, incidences of violence are increasing in Darfur.

In 2023, the situation again worsened due to the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group, as they fought for control of the region.

The ICC states that the war crimes being investigated include murder, rape and destruction of property. Both the SAF and RSF are reportedly committing these crimes, and the ICC has called for all parties to cease their actions.

The Council of the EU recently responded to the Sudan conflict by adopting economic sanctions against six entities that were allegedly supplying funding and equipment to armed groups involved in the conflict.