Rebel group urges UN pressures on Sudan
June 4, 2008 (LONDON) — A Darfur rebel group has urged the UN Security Council to condemn the arbitrary arrest and torture of Darfuri in Khartoum following a rebel coup against the Sudanese capital last month.
The Sudan Liberation Movement – Unity Command asked the UN Security Council to open an international judicial inquiry about human rights abuses by the Sudanese government against Darfur people in Khartoum.
The Sudanese security service carried out a crackdown campaign against Darfuri in the capital after an attack by the Justice and Equality Movement against the government in Khartoum on May 10. Khartoum spoke about the arrest of “the fifth column” working with the rebels inside the capital.
In its letter sent yesterday to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, the rebel group also requested to compel Khartoum to hand over Sudanese officials and militia chiefs suspected by the International Criminal Court of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.
It further asked to force Sudan to implement the different UN resolutions on Darfur.
On Thursday, the visiting UN Security Council mission is to travel to North Darfur – the same day ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo is to unveil details of a second case against senior figures in the five-year Darfur war.
Sudan is accused of consistently ignoring many of UN resolutions. Also it rejects to cooperate with ICC and implement its arrest warrants for secretary of state for humanitarian affairs Ahmed Haroun and Janjaweed militia leader Ali Kosheib, and says it has established its own court to try Darfur cases.
Sudan’s ambassador to the UN, Abdalmahmood Mohamad, told reporters Khartoum would never extradite any Sudanese to The Hague.
“We are not a member of the ICC. They have no jurisdiction over us. We will never submit any Sudanese citizen to The Hague,” he said in Khartoum.
“Our judicial system is renowned in the Arab world and Africa. It is looking into the matters of war crimes in Darfur. So people have already been tried and hanged, and we will continue,” he said.
(ST)