The International Criminal Court has “reasonable grounds to believe” war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed, the court’s deputy prosecutor said.

The International Criminal Court believes war crimes and crimes against humanity are continuing to take place in Sudan’s vast western Darfur region where civil war has raged for more than two years, the tribunal's deputy prosecutor said Thursday.

The UN Security Council gave the ICC a mandate to investigate and prosecute crimes in Darfur two decades ago, with the body opening multiple investigations into war crimes and genocide committed in the region from July 2002 onwards.