Investigations have found war crimes are being committed in Sudan's Darfur region, prosecutors at the International Criminal Court said on Thursday.
Deputy ICC prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan told the UN Security Council that "the humanitarian position has reached an intolerable state" in the war-torn region.
"Hospitals, humanitarian convoys and other civilian objects are apparently being targeted. Famine is escalating, and humanitarian aid is not reaching those in dire need of it," she said.
"People are being deprived of water and food. Rape and sexual violence are being weaponised, abductions for ransom or to bolster the ranks of armed groups have become common practice, and yet we should not be under any illusion things can still get worse.
"On the basis of our independent investigations, the position of our office is clear. We have reasonable grounds to believe that war crimes and crimes against humanity, have been and are continuing to be committed in Darfur."
Sudan was plunged into conflict in mid-April 2023, when long-simmering tension between its military and paramilitary leaders broke out in the capital, Khartoum, then spread to other regions, including Darfur. About 40,000 people have been killed and nearly 13 million displaced, including to other countries, the UN has said.
The Darfur region was previously rocked a war that began in 2003, with hundreds of thousands of civilians killed and more than two million displaced.
Ms Khan said the ICC had closely tracked reports in recent weeks of the dire situation in North Darfur, where the capital El Fasher is being besieged by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and its affiliates. The RSF has also attacked famine-hit Zamzam and other displacement camps in North Darfur.
There are also allegations of war crimes occurring in other parts of the country amid the conflict. A report by UN experts released in September last year concluded that both sides in the civil war may have committed war crimes.
The report, which was rejected by the military-run Sudanese government, recommended an arms embargo on the nation and the creation of an international peacekeeping force to protect civilians.
How Voiss turns words to speech
The device has a screen reader or software that monitors what happens on the screen
The screen reader sends the text to the speech synthesiser
This converts to audio whatever it receives from screen reader, so the person can hear what is happening on the screen
A VOISS computer costs between $200 and $250 depending on memory card capacity that ranges from 32GB to 128GB
The speech synthesisers VOISS develops are free
Subsequent computer versions will include improvements such as wireless keyboards
Arabic voice in affordable talking computer to be added next year to English, Portuguese, and Spanish synthesiser
Partnerships planned during Expo 2020 Dubai to add more languages
At least 2.2 billion people globally have a vision impairment or blindness
More than 90 per cent live in developing countries
The Long-term aim of VOISS to reach the technology to people in poor countries with workshops that teach them to build their own device
The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: nine-speed
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh848,000
On sale: now
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Company%20Profile
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Reputation
Taylor Swift
(Big Machine Records)
Match info
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Liverpool v Porto, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
How to become a Boglehead
Bogleheads follow simple investing philosophies to build their wealth and live better lives. Just follow these steps.
• Spend less than you earn and save the rest. You can do this by earning more, or being frugal. Better still, do both.
• Invest early, invest often. It takes time to grow your wealth on the stock market. The sooner you begin, the better.
• Choose the right level of risk. Don't gamble by investing in get-rich-quick schemes or high-risk plays. Don't play it too safe, either, by leaving long-term savings in cash.
• Diversify. Do not keep all your eggs in one basket. Spread your money between different companies, sectors, markets and asset classes such as bonds and property.
• Keep charges low. The biggest drag on investment performance is all the charges you pay to advisers and active fund managers.
• Keep it simple. Complexity is your enemy. You can build a balanced, diversified portfolio with just a handful of ETFs.
• Forget timing the market. Nobody knows where share prices will go next, so don't try to second-guess them.
• Stick with it. Do not sell up in a market crash. Use the opportunity to invest more at the lower price.
