ICC Prosecutor calls for worldwide mobilization to arrest Darfur suspects
October 13, 207 ( MONTREAL) — The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is urging Canadians and people around the world to tell their governments to help nab suspected Darfur war criminals.
“Now, the challenge is to implement the law decisions.”
Moreno-Ocampo, who spoke at a global conference Saturday on the prevention of genocide in Montreal, said land and cattle have been taken away from more than two million Sudanese, many of whom were forced into “squalid” camps.
More than 200,000 people have been killed during the conflict, which began in 2003.
Those behind these “massive atrocities” must be apprehended for the clash to end, he said.
In the spring, the international court issued warrants for Sudanese government minister Ahmed Harun and janjaweed militia leader Ali Kushayb, both suspected of committing war crimes in Darfur.
However, Sudan’s government has refused to arrest the suspects.
Harun, meanwhile, was appointed as the country’s humanitarian affairs minister, which puts him in charge of the people he displaced, Moreno-Ocampo added.
“There is no solution to Darfur if Harun is not arrested,” he said.
“I have a strong case against the minister, now the Sudan has to arrest him.”
But he said Darfur presents a challenge for the global community because the United Nations cannot deploy peacekeepers in the area unless it has an agreement with Sudan.
Moreno-Ocampo called on Canadians and people around the world to speak up about Darfur.
“It is time to break the silence,” he said.
Canada’s position that security should focus more on the individual rather than the state has given it a leading role in bringing war criminals to justice, he added.
“I hope Canada still leads, it’s very important,” Moreno-Ocampo said.
Rebecca Hamilton, a Harvard University law student and co-founder of a cross-campus organization condemning the Sudanese genocide, said although it’s only five years old, the International Criminal Court can deal with war crimes on a permanent basis.
However, without its own police force to execute arrest warrants, The Hague-based court needs co-operation.
“Like anything, it requires the support of citizens,” said Hamilton, who worked in the Sudan in 2004.
Hamilton attended the McGill University conference to launch a declaration from student leaders of 54 universities in 23 countries condemning the Darfur conflict.
She said prevention is key.
“It’s not enough to just, when the crisis hits the headlines, to suddenly go ‘Oh, we’ve got to do something,’ and scramble,” she said.
“You’re always going to be too late.”
(Canadian Press)