What international investigations or war crimes probes are underway into killings in Sudan and what evidence have they documented?
Executive summary
Multiple international probes are actively examining alleged war crimes in Sudan: the UN Human Rights Council’s Independent International Fact‑Finding Mission (OHCHR/FFM) is documenting large‑scale killings, sexual violence, and obstruction of aid [1] [2]. The International Criminal Court (ICC) is collecting evidence and has said it is investigating alleged crimes since April 2023, while Sudanese authorities and Amnesty/other NGOs are also compiling evidence — Amnesty documents attacks on Zamzam camp that displaced ~400,000 people and calls for war‑crimes investigations [3] [4] [5].
1. Who is investigating: parallel international mechanisms
The principal international mechanisms publicly engaged are the UN Human Rights Council’s Independent International Fact‑Finding Mission on Sudan, mandated to investigate violations and “establish the facts” [1], and the ICC, whose Office of the Prosecutor says it is collecting evidence of alleged crimes committed since April 2023 and has deepened engagement with victims and civil society [6] [7]. Human Rights Council action in November 2025 also ordered an urgent inquiry into alleged mass killings in El Fasher, adopted without vote and directed to the independent FFM [8] [9]. Amnesty International and other rights NGOs have produced detailed reports and pressed states and international bodies to open criminal probes [3] [4].
2. What investigators say they have documented so far
UN investigators and UN experts report “deliberately targeting” civilians, ethnically‑motivated summary executions, widespread sexual violence, looting, forced displacement and attacks on health facilities; the FFM concluded atrocities were committed on a large scale and singled out obstruction of humanitarian assistance [1] [10] [11]. Amnesty’s field research on the April attack on Zamzam camp documents indiscriminate explosive weapons use, killings, hostage‑taking and destruction of civilian infrastructure that displaced roughly 400,000 people in mid‑April 2025 [3]. Multiple eyewitness testimonies compiled by Amnesty and UN briefings describe executions, gang rape and systematic attacks during and after the fall of El Fasher [12] [11].
3. Types of evidence being relied upon
Investigators are using survivor and witness testimony, NGO interviews, open‑source imagery and geospatial analysis, and medical and humanitarian data. The ICC and modern accountability efforts increasingly rely on OSINT — satellite images, videos posted by perpetrators, photographic records and metadata — alongside traditional witness interviews; commentators note satellite imagery was decisive in earlier Darfur cases and is now standard investigative material [13] [14]. UN teams report satellite imagery showing corpses and mass graves in El Fasher and cite corroborating survivor accounts [15] [16].
4. Scope and limitations of current probes
The UN fact‑finding mission’s mandate covers alleged violations since April 2023 and has been extended through 2026; it is explicitly non‑judicial but designed to produce records that can feed courts like the ICC [1] [2]. The ICC can pursue criminal charges but faces practical obstacles: several past Darfur arrest warrants remain outstanding and enforcement depends on states’ cooperation [14] [6]. Access constraints, ongoing fighting, potential destruction or concealment of evidence, and political pressure on states limit on‑the‑ground verification; UN officials have warned that alerts before El Fasher’s fall were not sufficiently heeded [15] [16].
5. Domestic efforts and competing narratives
Sudan’s government says it is compiling evidence to present to the ICC against the RSF [17], but UN experts and the UN mission stress domestic institutions are currently unwilling or unable to conduct credible investigations and have called for independent international mechanisms [1] [11]. The RSF has denied certain allegations and described some accounts as “fabricated narratives,” creating competing narratives that investigators must adjudicate through corroboration [18].
6. What advocates and investigators are asking of states
Rights groups urge expanded arms embargoes and sanctions on those supporting warring parties; Amnesty specifically called for stopping arms transfers to actors likely to divert weapons to the RSF and for immediate independent investigations [3] [5]. The UN and genocide‑prevention advisers have urged international actors to halt arms flows and press for protection measures as investigators compile evidence [2] [19].
7. Why this matters for accountability
UN fact‑finding reports, NGO dossiers and ICC evidence collections create an evidentiary record that can underpin future indictments, reparations claims and sanctions—and they also document patterns (ethnically‑targeted executions, sexual violence as a weapon) that may meet thresholds for crimes against humanity or genocide if proven before a court [1] [10]. Past Darfur jurisprudence at the ICC (recent Guilty verdicts) shows prosecutions are possible, but enforcement and political will remain decisive variables [14] [7].
Limitations: available sources do not mention final indictments or convictions arising from the current 2025‑2026 evidence collections; many investigations are ongoing and constrained by access and security [1] [6].