Port Sudan, Sudan - July 17, 2024

Amidst the enduring conflict in their country, the Sudanese people, who have suffered from human rights violations and war crimes, have called for justice, while acknowledging the need for comprehensive reforms in Sudan's underdeveloped judiciary.

Wednesday marks the Day of International Criminal Justice, which commemorates the 26th anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute on July 17, 1998. The Rome Statute is the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which seeks to protect people from genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.

Although Sudan is not a state party to the Rome Statute, the ICC exercises jurisdiction over crimes committed in Darfur. The ICC conducts investigations in the region focusing on allegations of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

Awadia Salih is one among the millions of victims who have been forced to flee their homes due to the enduring conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) across the country.

Many Sudanese people are seeking justice and turning to the ICC for accountability. In the late 2000s, the ICC issued arrest warrants for then-Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and other senior officials, charging them with crimes such as murder, torture, and rape, committed during the Darfur genocide.

Sudan has been embroiled in deadly conflict between the SAF and the RSF since mid-April 2023, which have so far claimed at least 16,650 lives, according to an update from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in June.

In response to the ongoing conflict, the ICC initiated an investigation into the situation last year.

Shotlist:
Port Sudan, Sudan - July 17, 2024:
1. Various of displaced Sudanese Awadia Salih sitting with her kid;
2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic, dubbed in English) Awadia Salih, displaced Sudanese:
"We lived for a couple of months in Khartoum under very difficult circumstances. But then the RSF occupied our house. They humiliated us and forced us to serve them in our house. They even tortured some members of my family. I escaped to Port Sudan to keep my children safe.";
3. Various of lawyer Moaz Hassan checking documents;
4. SOUNDBITE (Arabic, dubbed in English) Moaz Hassan, lawyer (starting with shot 3):
"The relationship between the ICC and Sudan has changed over the years, after al-Bashir was ousted, Sudan has become more cooperative, but the issue remains the untrained judicial system that needs wide reforms and needs to be unbiased, which hampered justice achievement for decades in Sudan.";
5. Various of displaced Sudanese, tents.

[Restriction - No access Chinese mainland/Al-Arabiya TV/Middle East Broadcasting Center]