# ICC's deputy prosecutor says court has achieved a breakthrough in its Darfur war crimes investigation > ICC deputy prosecutor Nazhat Khan says the court has obtained new evidence linking Rapid Support Forces leaders to alleged war crimes in Darfur, Sudan; UN experts say the crimes bear 'hallmarks of genocide'; Middle East Eye reports Khan's comments are her first since MEE revealed the office had shelved an RSF arrest warrant **Meta:** type: event · date: 2026-07-09 · heads: Who Decides, What They're Not Saying · 6 takes · 4 lenses · 4 regions ## Summary The [International Criminal Court](/en/entity/org/icc)'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](/en/entity/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](/en/n/sudan-war-dossier) 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 ## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens) ### BBC reporting relayed via Yahoo News; first account of the ICC telling a news organisation directly about the breakthrough, framing it as a significant step in a years-long investigation - **Yahoo News (via BBC)** (United Kingdom, en) — The BBC reports that the ICC told it directly of a breakthrough in the Darfur probe, framing the court's disclosure as a significant step given that the investigation has been stalled for years. The ICC has been looking into atrocities committed in Darfur over the past three years of Sudan's civil war. > "The ICC has been looking into atrocities committed in Darfur over the past three years." Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/international-court-tells-bbc-breakthrough-234103971.html ### MEE identifies Khan's statement as her first public comments since MEE itself revealed the office had shelved an RSF arrest warrant; frames the breakthrough as a political as much as legal development - **Middle East Eye** (United Kingdom, en) — Middle East Eye provides the sharpest contextual framing: it notes that its own reporting had previously revealed the ICC's office shelved an RSF arrest warrant, making Khan's 'breakthrough' comments a pointed public reassertion that the investigation is alive. MEE identifies Khan by name as the deputy prosecutor making the statement. > "Nazhat Khan makes first public comments since MEE revealed her office had shelved an arrest warrant application for a member of the Rapid Support Forces." Source: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/icc-deputy-prosecutor-says-breakthrough-achieved-darfur-investigation ### Irish Times surfaces the UN dimension: UN experts say crimes in 2023 and 2025 Darfur attacks bear 'hallmarks of genocide', connecting the ICC breakthrough to a broader international accountability effort - **Irish Times** (Ireland, en) — The Irish Times reports that the new ICC evidence links the Sudan attacks directly to top [[rapid-support-forces|RSF]] leadership, and that UN experts have separately characterised crimes in the 2023 and 2025 Darfur attacks as bearing hallmarks of genocide. This framing places the ICC breakthrough within the genocide accountability debate. > "UN experts say crimes committed in 2023 and 2025 attacks in the Darfur region bear 'hallmarks of genocide.'" Source: https://www.irishtimes.com/world/africa/2026/07/09/new-evidence-links-sudan-attacks-to-top-leadership-icc-says/ ### unlabelled - **International Business Times UK** (United Kingdom, en) — Source: https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/icc-breakthrough-evidence-darfur-war-crimes-1807867 - **OkayAfrica** (United States / Pan-Africa, en) — Source: https://www.okayafrica.com/today-in-africa-july-9-2026-morocco-carries-africas-world-cup-hopes-in-quarterfinals-clash-icc-reports-breakthrough-in-investigation-into-darfur-atrocities/1434938 - **Polity.org.za** (South Africa, en) — Source: https://www.polity.org.za/article/icc-official-says-breakthrough-made-in-darfur-investigations-2026-07-09 ## Across the graph - Related: [[sudan-war-dossier]], [[icc-dossier]], [[sudan-rsf-el-fasher-amnesty-jul2]] - Entities: Org:icc, Rapid Support Forces, Sudan War --- Canonical: https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/icc-darfur-breakthrough-jul9