ICC fact-finding mission arrives to Sudan
By Wasil Ali
Jan 29, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — A team of investigators from the International Criminal Court (ICC) has arrived in Khartoum on a fact finding mission on the national proceedings relating to Darfur crimes.
The Chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has mentioned in his report to the UN Security Council last month that he has almost completed his investigation into some of the worst crimes committed in Darfur. Ocampo added that submitting his first Darfur case to the ICC judges is pending the report that will be submitted by his team visiting Khartoum in January.
The Sudanese daily al-Ray al-Aam newspaper reported that the ICC team conducted meetings with officials in the foreign ministry and the Ministry of Justice.
The ICC team will remain in the country for an indefinite period of time during which they will conduct a comprehensive assessment of the special criminal courts on Darfur and investigations by the government into the crimes committed. The team will try to ascertain the extent and seriousness Khartoum to try the perpetrators of the crimes in Darfur.
The Sudanese ambassador to the Netherlands Abu Al-Kasim Abdelwahid told al-Ray al-Aam that the visit of the ICC team comes as mentioned in the chief prosecutor’s latest report to the Security Council in December.
He pointed out that the same team has previously visited Sudan several times and that they will submit a report to the ICC prosecutor outlining all the developments in the national courts investigating Darfur war crimes.
Despite Sudan’s opposition to the court, it allowed ICC investigators to visit Khartoum last year and interview two senior government officials.
(ST)