Hard truths. Bold Insights. Real talk.
Karua asked the Chief Prosecutor at the ICC to closely follow developments in Kenya and determine whether the reported incidents provide enough grounds for an examination.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the measures, saying Akane, from Japan, and Seye, from Senegal, were targeted under an order issued by President Donald Trump last year. He accused the two ICC officials of taking part in efforts to investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute officials from governments that have not agreed to the court’s jurisdiction.
Kigame said he would not rule out taking the matter beyond Kenya if the local justice system failed to address the case.
The Trump administration said it would pressure other countries to withdraw from the court, marking a sharp escalation in the US effort to isolate the Hague-based institution and starve it of political and financial support.
The case focused on attacks carried out in and around El Geneina, where prosecutors said thousands of civilians were killed or forced to flee their homes. The charges also included the June 2023 killing of West Darfur Governor Khamis Abdallah Abakar, who had publicly accused the RSF of committing genocide against the Masalit community shortly before he was killed.
Justice Ndung’u said she accepted the nomination “with humility and gratitude,” adding that she is “proud to do so as a Kenyan dedicated her professional life to the service of Justice and the global and the protection of human dignity.”
A report by Middle East Eye published on Saturday said a panel of three judges submitted a confidential report to the court’s oversight body, the Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP), on March 9.
The court found that the latest clashes involve the same areas, actors, and types of violence already under investigation. Israel had argued that the scale of fighting following October 7, 2023 triggered new legal duties under Article 18 of the Rome Statute, which requires states to be notified when a fresh investigation is opened.
The 76-year-old was convicted in October on 27 counts, including murder, rape, torture, and attacks against civilians in western Darfur between 2003 and 2004. This marks the ICC’s first-ever conviction related to the Darfur conflict.
Six prominent Kenyans faced charges of crimes against humanity during the investigation: former President Uhuru Kenyatta, President William Ruto, former Cabinet minister Henry Kosgey, former Head of Public Service Francis Muthaura, former Police Commissioner Mohammed Hussein Ali, and journalist Joshua arap Sang. Each of them denied the allegations.
According to the petition, Tanzanian authorities “murdered thousands of civilians, subjected hundreds to enforced disappearance, tortured thousands in detention facilities, committed sexual violence against detainees, forcibly displaced tens of thousands of indigenous Maasais, and employed cyber-enabled repression affecting millions.” The organisations argue that the events surrounding the vote reflect widespread and deliberate attacks that warrant international scrutiny.
The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber III set a hearing to confirm the charges on December 12, 2024, scheduling it for September 9, 2025. The Appeals Chamber later upheld the procedure for conducting confirmation hearings in absentia on June 3, 2025, laying out clear rules for cases where the defendant is not present.