In a report titled “Three Years Too Long,” the UN documented 546 verified incidents of sexual violence across 16 of Sudan’s 18 states since fighting erupted between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces in April 2023.

The report verified that at least 838 people were subjected to rape, gang rape, sexual slavery, forced marriage, forced prostitution, sexual torture, trafficking and other forms of sexual violence. Victims included 539 women, 284 girls, eight men and seven boys.

According to the findings, approximately 87 percent of documented cases were attributed to the RSF, affiliated groups and allied Arab militias.

The UN Human Rights Office cautioned that the verified figures likely represent only a fraction of the true scale of abuse, citing underreporting driven by insecurity, social stigma, the collapse of health services and the absence of functioning judicial institutions.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said the findings indicated that sexual violence was being systematically used as a weapon of war. The report stated there were reasonable grounds to believe that some abuses committed in Sudan, particularly in Darfur, may amount to crimes against humanity when carried out as part of widespread or systematic attacks against civilian populations.

Investigators highlighted incidents linked to RSF operations in El-Geneina and Ardamata in 2023, as well as attacks around Zamzam displacement camp and El-Fasher in 2025.

Among the verified cases, nearly one-quarter involved gang rape. The report documented incidents in which multiple perpetrators assaulted a single victim and recorded at least 85 cases involving sexual slavery and forced domestic servitude.

The UN also reported that at least 13 victims died following acts of sexual violence, most after gang rapes. The youngest recorded victim was nine years old. Investigators further documented at least 59 pregnancies resulting from rape.

Particular concern was raised over allegations of ethnically targeted sexual violence against members of the Masalit community in West Darfur. According to testimony cited in the report, attackers questioned victims about their ethnic identity before carrying out assaults, suggesting a deliberate pattern of persecution.

Sudanese human rights activist Hala Al-Karib said the report confirmed years of documentation by civil society organizations that had repeatedly warned of the systematic use of sexual violence throughout the conflict.

Al-Karib described the findings as evidence of a broader strategy aimed at terrorizing and fragmenting communities. She also criticized what she characterized as an inadequate international response to the conflict and warned that continued arms flows and external interference were contributing to the humanitarian crisis.

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the documented abuses should shock the international community, emphasizing that the verified cases likely represented only a small portion of the violence occurring across the country.

The report called on all parties to the conflict to issue and enforce orders prohibiting sexual violence, conduct independent investigations into alleged abuses and remove amnesty protections for international crimes.

It also urged international mediators and governments involved in peace efforts to ensure accountability mechanisms remain central to any ceasefire agreement or future political settlement.

Sudan’s conflict, which began in April 2023 following a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, has triggered one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, displacing millions of people and devastating large parts of the country.

The Bar Standards Board said on Friday that Khan’s suspension took immediate effect and would be reviewed by an independent panel within four weeks. The move follows a separate decision by the ICC’s governing body on June 8 to suspend Khan from his duties while proceedings related to the allegations continue.

Khan, 56, has denied all accusations and said he would challenge the measures taken against him. His supporters have argued that he has become a target of political pressure following his pursuit of arrest warrants against senior Israeli officials over Israel’s conduct in the Gaza conflict.

The ICC’s 125 member states are scheduled to consider Khan’s future at a special session of the court’s governing body on July 24.

The case stems from allegations first raised in 2024 by a female aide who accused Khan of engaging in a non-consensual sexual relationship with a younger staff member. Following the emergence of the allegations, the court commissioned an external United Nations-led investigation.

A summary of the confidential 18-month inquiry reviewed by Reuters found a “factual basis” for the allegations. Khan has consistently denied wrongdoing.

In May 2025, Khan took voluntary leave from his position, with his two deputy prosecutors assuming responsibility for the office’s day-to-day operations.

The developments come at a particularly sensitive moment for the ICC, which has faced mounting political pressure over investigations involving major powers and their allies.

The United States, which is not a member of the court, has imposed sanctions on 11 ICC judges and prosecutors, including Khan, in response to arrest warrants issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as the court’s earlier investigation into alleged crimes involving U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

Washington has also warned that additional sanctions against the court remain possible.

Founded in 2002 and based in The Hague, the ICC prosecutes individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed on the territory of member states or by their nationals.

The ministry identified the detainee as Qais Hassan al-Abd al-Rajab, a former brigadier general who previously served as deputy director of the General Intelligence Directorate, also known as State Security.

According to a statement published on the Interior Ministry’s Telegram channel, al-Abd al-Rajab was detained by the Counterterrorism Directorate after what authorities described as extensive tracking operations.

He is accused of involvement in violations against residents of the Damascus countryside, including areas such as Hajar al-Aswad, Daraya and Moadamiyat al-Sham, as well as parts of Daraa province, the ministry said.

Officials said the suspect had attempted to evade arrest prior to his detention, and that investigations are ongoing ahead of legal proceedings and referral to the judiciary.

Interior Minister Anas Khattab said in earlier remarks that security forces continue to pursue individuals accused of crimes committed under the former Assad administration as part of wider accountability efforts.

He added that intelligence and internal security units were conducting surveillance and enforcement operations aimed at bringing suspects before the courts.

The arrest comes amid ongoing efforts by Syrian authorities to investigate alleged abuses committed during the Assad era, including broader transitional justice measures and attempts to document violations against civilians.

The attacks began on Wednesday evening and continued into Thursday, targeting residential neighborhoods, a funeral gathering and a truck transporting food supplies in the strategically important city in North Kordofan state, according to the Emergency Lawyers group.

The organization, which has documented alleged abuses during the conflict, blamed the strikes on the RSF. The claims could not be independently verified, and the paramilitary force did not immediately comment on the allegations.

Residents described extensive destruction across parts of the city, with homes damaged or destroyed and casualties transported to local hospitals.

One witness in the Al-Matar district in eastern El-Obeid said several houses collapsed after being hit, trapping residents beneath the rubble. Another resident told AFP that a relative was among those killed and that he had seen multiple bodies brought to a nearby medical facility.

A medical source said two children and a woman believed to be their mother were among the dead.

El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, has been partially surrounded by RSF forces for months and remains a key strategic center linking western and eastern Sudan. Control of the wider Kordofan region is viewed as critical because it connects RSF-held territories in Darfur with areas controlled by the Sudanese army.

Drone warfare has become an increasingly significant feature of Sudan’s conflict since fighting erupted in April 2023 between the military and the RSF. The use of unmanned aerial attacks has expanded as both sides seek to strike targets beyond front-line positions.

According to United Nations figures, at least 880 civilians were killed in drone strikes across Sudan between January and April this year.

Military operations have intensified in Kordofan and neighboring Blue Nile state in recent months, particularly following the RSF’s capture of El-Fasher in October 2025, ending the army’s hold on its last major stronghold in western Darfur.

The broader conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced more than 11 million and triggered what the United Nations has described as the world’s largest displacement and hunger crisis.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said the mission will document potential breaches of international human rights and humanitarian law and compile findings for future reporting. He said the team would assess conduct by all sides to the conflict.

“It’s the first time that we are sending this assessment mission, and the idea is indeed to look at violations by all parties — violations of international law, violations of international human rights law, and to document this, and eventually to report back to you on our findings,” Türk said.

The announcement came as Israeli strikes continued across southern Lebanon, including an attack on Wednesday that hit the centre of the city of Sidon, according to an AFP correspondent and Lebanese state media.

The conflict in Lebanon escalated after March 2, when Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group, launched rockets toward Israel in solidarity with Iran during heightened regional tensions. Israel responded with a sustained air and ground campaign across southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese authorities and UN accounts cited in the report.

The UN says more than 3,600 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon, while over one million people have been displaced since the escalation. Despite a US-announced ceasefire on April 16, Lebanon says hostilities have continued, including nearly 3,500 Israeli strikes since the truce.

The United Nations also warned of worsening humanitarian conditions, estimating that about 1.24 million people in Lebanon could face crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity through August.

Separately on Wednesday, a strike was reported in Sidon, where witnesses said an explosion was followed by a burning vehicle and emergency crews rushing to the scene. The incident underscored the continued volatility in southern Lebanon as international efforts to stabilize the situation remain limited.

The UN assessment mission is expected to focus on documenting incidents across multiple fronts in order to establish an evidentiary record of alleged violations by all parties to the conflict.

Hajji Najibullah was convicted after pleading guilty in April 2025 to providing material support for terrorism and conspiring to take hostages. Prosecutors said he supplied weapons to the Taliban between 2007 and 2009, knowing they would be used in operations against US forces in Afghanistan.

The sentencing hearing in Manhattan federal court included emotional testimony from journalist David Rohde, who Najibullah helped abduct in 2008 along with two other men. Rohde described how he was initially lured under the pretense of an interview before being taken hostage, calling hostage-taking a “cruel and cowardly crime.”

Rohde, now a national security reporter for MSNOW and formerly with The New York Times, said Najibullah had failed to accept full responsibility for his actions and had attempted to shift blame during proceedings. He also spoke about the suffering endured by hostages’ families and the psychological toll of prolonged captivity.

The journalists were held for more than seven months before escaping from a Taliban-controlled compound in Pakistan’s tribal areas, according to court testimony.
Najibullah apologized in court, telling Rohde and his family that what happened was “terrible” and expressing deep regret over his role.

However, the court also heard that his activities contributed to broader Taliban operations that resulted in the deaths of US soldiers in separate incidents.

During the hearing, Rohde referenced three US soldiers killed in operations linked to Najibullah’s associates, emphasizing the lasting impact of the attacks and the human cost of the conflict.

The case is part of a wider series of US prosecutions targeting former Taliban-linked militants involved in cross-border violence, hostage-taking, and attacks on coalition forces during the war in Afghanistan.

The findings were released by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, which was established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2021 to investigate alleged violations of international law in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

In its latest report, the commission said civilians in Gaza are caught between what it described as the structural violence and mass atrocities committed by Israeli forces and the coercive rule exercised by Hamas. The investigators said Palestinian residents have faced severe hardships from both the ongoing conflict and governance practices within the territory.

The report also focused extensively on the occupied West Bank, where violence has intensified since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in Gaza.

Commission chair Srinivasan Muralidhar said violence carried out by Israeli settlers was enabled by policies that support and protect settlement expansion. He also accused Hamas-affiliated forces of exploiting conditions created by prolonged conflict and destruction in Gaza.

The commission stated that, despite differing motivations and actors, Palestinian civilians have experienced a deliberate infliction of suffering in both Gaza and the West Bank.

According to the report, at least 26 Palestinians were killed and more than 1,570 injured in settler-related attacks between January 2023 and December 2025. Investigators said such incidents have continued on a near-daily basis in 2026.

The inquiry further concluded that Israeli authorities bear responsibility for facilitating conditions that allow settler violence to persist. It argued that settlement activity and related violence contribute to the expansion of Israeli control over Palestinian territory and the displacement of Palestinian communities.

The report called on Israel to immediately halt settlement expansion, end new settlement activities and remove existing settlers and settlements from occupied Palestinian territory. It also urged Israel to end what it described as the unlawful occupation of Palestinian land.

The commission examined abuses attributed to Hamas-affiliated forces and found evidence of serious violations, including alleged war crimes involving murder and torture. Investigators documented 249 incidents involving executions or severe physical violence during 2024 and 2025, resulting in at least 108 deaths and 384 injuries.

According to the report, Hamas-linked forces were involved in at least 60 of those incidents. Investigators also alleged that Palestinian civilians were tortured inside the Nasser Medical Complex in Gaza.

The commission emphasized that such actions do not negate the protected status of medical facilities under international humanitarian law.

The report recommended that Gaza’s de facto authorities immediately cease all extrajudicial punishments, including executions, torture and other forms of physical, psychological and sexual violence. It also called on authorities to refrain from using civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, for purposes incompatible with their humanitarian functions.

The findings are scheduled to be presented to the UN Human Rights Council next week. Israel has previously rejected the commission’s conclusions and accused it of systematic bias against the country.

The decision was taken by the 21-member bureau of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP), the court’s management and oversight body, which voted by qualified majority to suspend Khan while referring the matter to the full assembly representing all ICC member countries.

“The bureau decided by qualified majority to suspend the Prosecutor from duty with immediate effect pending the final decision of the Assembly of States Parties as the competent decision-maker,” the bureau said in a statement.The bureau stressed that the measure should not be interpreted as a determination of guilt or responsibility.

“The bureau emphasizes that this suspension is not an indication of the final outcome,” the statement added.The move is expected to have limited immediate impact on the court’s operations because Khan, 55, has been on leave since May 2025 while contesting the allegations. He has consistently denied wrongdoing.

A special session of the Assembly of States Parties will be convened as soon as possible to consider the matter and determine the next steps, according to the bureau.Khan, a British lawyer who became ICC prosecutor in 2021, has overseen several high-profile investigations and prosecutions.

He drew international attention after seeking arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over allegations linked to the Gaza conflict.

Those applications triggered strong criticism from Israel and its ally, the United States, which opposed the court’s actions. Khan subsequently became one of the first ICC officials to face sanctions from Washington in connection with the court’s investigations.

Prior to stepping aside, Khan had also led investigations involving conflicts and alleged war crimes across multiple jurisdictions, making him one of the most prominent figures in international criminal justice.

The ICC has not indicated a timetable for the Assembly of States Parties to reach a final decision on Khan’s status. Until then, court operations are expected to continue under existing institutional arrangements.

The commission said its findings followed multiple verification and analysis procedures conducted in coordination with Syrian authorities, marking a significant development in one of the country’s most prominent unresolved disappearance cases.

Al-Abbasi, her husband Abdul Rahman Yasin, and their six children, who were between three and 15 years old at the time, vanished in March 2013 after security forces raided their home in Damascus, according to rights organizations.

Their disappearance became a symbol of the broader issue of missing detainees and forcibly disappeared civilians during Assad’s rule.”We have reached reliable and corroborating results that allow us to conclude with a high degree of professional certainty that Dr. Rania Al-Abbasi’s children are deceased,” the commission said in a statement.

It added that efforts to locate the children’s remains were continuing.The commission was established by Syria’s new authorities in May 2025 to investigate cases involving missing and forcibly disappeared persons following Assad’s ouster in 2024.Hassan Al-Abbasi, Rania’s brother, confirmed the children’s deaths in a video posted on Facebook.

He said family members had viewed video recordings linked to a suspect accused of involvement in a 2013 massacre in a Damascus district.According to Hassan Al-Abbasi, one recording showed children being accused of financing terrorism.

He said the children in the footage were identified as members of the Al-Abbasi family.The fate of Rania Al-Abbasi and her husband remains officially unresolved. Contact with both was lost after their arrest, and while rights groups and media reports have suggested they may have died, no official confirmation or recovery of their remains has been reported.

The case underscores the scale of Syria’s missing persons crisis, which includes detainees who disappeared in government prisons, civilians who went missing during years of conflict, and individuals who vanished at checkpoints or while fleeing violence.The Syrian conflict began in 2011 after a government crackdown on anti-government protests and evolved into a prolonged civil war.

Tens of thousands of people were detained or disappeared during the conflict.The commission said last year that the number of people who went missing over decades of Assad family rule could exceed 300,000.

The clips, many circulated through social media platforms including TikTok, Instagram and Telegram, show soldiers inside damaged homes and villages handling personal belongings, damaging property and posing for videos during military operations in southern Lebanon.

One widely shared image showed an Israeli soldier placing a cigarette in the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary in the Christian town of Debel. The Israeli military later confirmed the soldier had been identified and said disciplinary measures would be taken, describing the conduct as inconsistent with military values.

Another video from the same town appeared to show a soldier striking a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer, prompting criticism internationally and within Israel.Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “stunned and saddened” by the incident, while the Israeli military said it viewed the act with “great severity” and would pursue “appropriate measures.”

The controversy intensified after Israeli newspaper Haaretz⁠ published testimonies from soldiers and commanders alleging widespread looting by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.

One soldier cited in the report said theft increased after military checkpoints were removed from certain areas.Another Israeli publication, Yedioth Ahronoth⁠, quoted a reservist alleging that troops took personal items including jewelry, blankets and photographs from homes near the Lebanese border.

The reports prompted a public warning from Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir, who ordered commanders to investigate incidents involving looting and social media posts by soldiers. Zamir said such behavior damaged the reputation of the Israeli military and instructed that potential criminal violations be referred to military police.

Human rights organizations and legal analysts say the growing volume of online material shared by combatants is reshaping the documentation of alleged wartime abuses, with soldiers increasingly recording and distributing footage themselves rather than such evidence emerging solely through witness accounts or later investigations.

Under international humanitarian law, pillage and destruction of civilian property during armed conflict are prohibited. Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention bans pillage, while the International Criminal Court classifies pillaging during armed conflict as a potential war crime under the Rome Statute.

The incidents come as Israeli strikes continue across parts of Lebanon despite a temporary ceasefire announced on April 17. Israel says its operations target Hezbollah fighters and infrastructure, while Lebanese officials and humanitarian groups report extensive civilian damage and displacement.

Ori Goldberg told Arab News that Israeli society was facing a broader moral and political crisis over the conduct of the war, though he predicted accountability would likely remain limited to lower-ranking personnel.Residents returning to damaged communities in southern Lebanon described feelings of humiliation and violation extending beyond physical destruction.

A Lebanese resident identified only as Ali told Arab News that the looting of personal belongings carried emotional consequences that could not easily be repaired.

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