Russia urges ICC to drop Sudan case
Russia has called for the removal of the case on the conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region from the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing it of political bias and ineffectiveness.
In a Telegram statement on Tuesday, the Russian Embassy in Egypt said the ICC had “sabotaged” its mandate to investigate the conflict in Darfur for nearly two decades and accused it of showing renewed interest only now as the crisis deepens. Moscow believes the ICC exceeded its jurisdiction and that “politically driven decisions” by the court risk aggravating instability in Sudan.
“Against the backdrop of the current bloody escalation in the Sudanese city of Al Fashir, Russia is urging the withdrawal of the Darfur file from the ICC,” the statement read.
Moscow said Sudan’s problems should be resolved through “inclusive internal dialogue,” not external judicial intervention, which it claimed would only heighten tensions.
Russian officials further questioned the court’s performance, highlighting that despite an annual budget of nearly $200 million and two decades of operations, the ICC has delivered only 14 final verdicts.
Speaking at a press conference in Doha, Qatar on the same day, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that it was essential, with the commitment of the entire international community, to make clear to both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that “this war is an absolutely intolerable thing” and that Sudan’s unity and territorial integrity “must be preserved at all costs.”
Sudan descended into chaos in April 2023 when fighting erupted between the national army (Sudanese Armed Forces, SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This occurred after months of tension between their commanders, army generals Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo ‘Hemedti’, respectively, over a planned transition to civilian rule. What began in the capital, Khartoum, as a power struggle has devastated the country, killing tens of thousands and displacing millions.
Regional and international peace efforts, including African Union mediation and Saudi–US talks in Jeddah, have repeatedly stalled. Sudanese officials have named Colombians and Ukrainians among mercenaries backing the RSF against the army. Officials have also accused Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates of involvement and recently claimed the European Union has an “incomplete understanding of the complex situation” in the country.
Khartoum has also accused authorities in neighboring Kenya of backing the RSF and has broken ties with the East African grouping IGAD amid mistrust of regional mediation. In July, TASIS, a political coalition aligned with the paramilitary, announced the formation of a rival government months after its members signed a charter in Nairobi. It named Gen. Dagalo as chairman of a 15-member presidential council, a move rejected by the UN and AU.
On Monday, the ICC Prosecutor’s Office announced that it had opened a new probe into alleged atrocities in Al Fashir. Prosecutor Karim Khan said his office was gathering evidence of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity.
According to the Sudan Doctors’ Union, more than 2,200 people have been killed and 390,000 displaced in the paramilitary RSF’s assault on El Fasher. The UN Security Council has condemned the offensive, warning of the risk of mass atrocities. The RSF said it had seized control of the city and the army’s Sixth Infantry Division command on October 26.
