<p>International Criminal Court prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said Tuesday she discussed with Sudanese officials access for investigators to probe alleged atrocities in Darfur region under ousted president Omar al-Bashir.</p>.<p>Bashir, who was toppled in April 2019, has been wanted by the ICC for nearly a decade on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in the western region of Darfur.</p>.<p>"A memorandum of understanding on the modalities of cooperation, technical visits, and immediate access in Sudan by our investigators, amongst other action points, were discussed," Bensouda said.</p>.<p>"We look forward to making timely progress on all of these items," she told a news conference in Khartoum.</p>.<p>Bensouda is heading an ICC delegation that has been in Khartoum since Saturday on a mission to review options of holding Bashir and others accountable for the Darfur conflict, which left hundreds of thousands dead.</p>.<p>The ICC prosecutor hailed cooperation efforts by Sudan's transitional authorities, who seized power after Bashir's ouster, and described her visit to Sudan as "historic".</p>.<p>She said she was looking to launch an "investigation on the ground in Darfur as soon as possible."</p>.<p>Bensouda also voiced hopes for sending a "permanent delegation" to Sudan, and said she discussed the matter with authorities.</p>.<p>Fighting in Darfur erupted in 2003 between African minority rebels, complaining of the region's marginalisation, and government-backed forces.</p>.<p>The United Nations estimates the fighting killed 300,000 people and displaced 2.5 million others.</p>.<p>Other than Bashir, several of his aides also face accusations of committing atrocities in Darfur, including former South Kordofan governor Ahmed Haroun and ex-defence minister Abdelrahim Mohamed Hussein.</p>.<p>Both are in custody in Sudan.</p>.<p>A fifth man, rebel leader Abdallah Banda, is wanted by the ICC but remains at large.</p>.<p>In June, militia leader Ali Kushayb, who was accused by the ICC of multiple accounts of rape, murder and pillaging, surrendered himself to the court.</p>
<p>International Criminal Court prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said Tuesday she discussed with Sudanese officials access for investigators to probe alleged atrocities in Darfur region under ousted president Omar al-Bashir.</p>.<p>Bashir, who was toppled in April 2019, has been wanted by the ICC for nearly a decade on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in the western region of Darfur.</p>.<p>"A memorandum of understanding on the modalities of cooperation, technical visits, and immediate access in Sudan by our investigators, amongst other action points, were discussed," Bensouda said.</p>.<p>"We look forward to making timely progress on all of these items," she told a news conference in Khartoum.</p>.<p>Bensouda is heading an ICC delegation that has been in Khartoum since Saturday on a mission to review options of holding Bashir and others accountable for the Darfur conflict, which left hundreds of thousands dead.</p>.<p>The ICC prosecutor hailed cooperation efforts by Sudan's transitional authorities, who seized power after Bashir's ouster, and described her visit to Sudan as "historic".</p>.<p>She said she was looking to launch an "investigation on the ground in Darfur as soon as possible."</p>.<p>Bensouda also voiced hopes for sending a "permanent delegation" to Sudan, and said she discussed the matter with authorities.</p>.<p>Fighting in Darfur erupted in 2003 between African minority rebels, complaining of the region's marginalisation, and government-backed forces.</p>.<p>The United Nations estimates the fighting killed 300,000 people and displaced 2.5 million others.</p>.<p>Other than Bashir, several of his aides also face accusations of committing atrocities in Darfur, including former South Kordofan governor Ahmed Haroun and ex-defence minister Abdelrahim Mohamed Hussein.</p>.<p>Both are in custody in Sudan.</p>.<p>A fifth man, rebel leader Abdallah Banda, is wanted by the ICC but remains at large.</p>.<p>In June, militia leader Ali Kushayb, who was accused by the ICC of multiple accounts of rape, murder and pillaging, surrendered himself to the court.</p>