UK to UN: Back ICC on Sudan, protect civilians now

If you’re teaching or studying international justice, here’s the update you can work with. In New York, the UK used its slot at the UN Security Council to make a clear case: justice for Sudan’s people must move alongside efforts to stop the fighting and get aid in. We’ll walk you through the key points so you can explain them in class or revise them confidently.

First, the legal milestone. The UK highlighted the International Criminal Court’s conviction of Ali Muhammad Ali Abd‑Al‑Rahman (better known as Ali Kushayb) for 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur in 2003–2004. It is the ICC’s first Darfur conviction stemming from a UN Security Council referral and the Court’s first conviction for gender‑based persecution. In December 2025, judges sentenced him to 20 years’ imprisonment. (ungeneva.org)

What this means for you as a reader: the Darfur situation was referred to the ICC by the UN Security Council in 2005 (Resolution 1593). That referral gives the Court authority even though Sudan isn’t an ICC member, and it shows that accountability can land years after the crimes. (icc-cpi.int)

Now to the present conflict. On 9 January 2026, Sudan passed 1,000 days of war between the national army (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The UK reiterated that both sides have been condemned for attacks on civilians, and it backed ICC investigations into alleged atrocity crimes in Al Geneina and the Prosecutor’s findings around El Fasher. If you hear these acronyms in class: RSF grew out of the Janjaweed militias; SAF is the state army. (icc-cpi.int)

Here’s the UN’s baseline for what must happen. On 13 June 2024, the Security Council adopted Resolution 2736. It demands the RSF halt the siege of El Fasher, protect civilians, and allow rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access in and around the city. This is the text teachers will often point to when they ask whether parties are complying with international law. (press.un.org)

Events since then matter for any discussion of accountability. In late October 2025, after roughly 18 months of siege, the RSF seized El Fasher. Credible reports described mass killings, targeting of specific ethnic groups, and the use of rape as a weapon of war. UN migration data show more than 107,000 people fled El Fasher and nearby villages between 26 October and 8 December. (abc.net.au)

The ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor says it is now preserving and collecting evidence from El Fasher for potential cases. That work sits alongside ongoing probes into earlier atrocities in Al Geneina. For students, this is a live example of how testimony, satellite imagery and survivor accounts are turned into courtroom‑ready evidence. (darfur24.com)

The UK’s message on cooperation was blunt: commitments must turn into action. That includes arresting and surrendering ICC suspects Omar al‑Bashir, Abdel Raheem Hussein and Ahmad Harun, whose warrants remain outstanding, so judges-not armed groups-decide accountability. (icc-cpi.int)

A practical note you can use in lessons and community projects: the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor runs OTP Link, a secure platform for submitting information-photos, videos, documents and testimonies. States and regional bodies can also help by sharing satellite imagery and facilitating witness interviews that meet chain‑of‑custody standards. (icc-cpi.int)

The statement welcomed cooperation between the ICC and the African Union’s fact‑finding work, and recognised the role of civil society groups who document abuses when official access is blocked. For many survivors, these organisations are the first people to record their story safely and accurately.

One principle was set out without caveat: the UK reaffirmed support for the ICC’s independence and said it does not support sanctioning individuals or organisations linked to the Court. For classrooms, this is a useful case study of how governments can back international institutions even when cases are politically sensitive.

If you’re reading this with students, try this framing question: what does ‘accountability alongside aid access’ look like in practice? Over the coming weeks, we should look for humanitarian access to open up in Darfur, visible steps to execute arrest warrants, and public updates from the ICC on evidence gathered. Those are the signals we can verify against independent reporting and UN data.