UN commission on Darfur briefs prosecutor of ICC

THE HAGUE, Netherlands, May 24, 2005 (AP) — Members of a special U.N. commission on Sudan briefed the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on Tuesday about human rights abuses in the country’s western Darfur region.

A 14- year-old Sudanese girl holds her wounded baby brother, hit by shrapnel from an aerial attack in North Darfur, October 2004. Their mother was killed in the bombing attack. (HRW) .

The commission concluded in January that crimes against humanity — but not genocide — occurred in Darfur and recommended that cases of alleged atrocities since July 1, 2002, be referred to the Netherlands-based court.

Despite strong U.S. opposition to the court, the U.N. Security Council sent the case to The Hague in April, calling on it to prosecute those responsible for widespread rape, murder and looting. The commission handed over a list of 51 potential suspects believed to be involved in atrocities.

Court prosecutors have begun field work in Darfur and are expected to launch a full scale investigation in coming months.

Commission members Mohammed Fayek of Egypt and Hina Jilani of Pakistan briefed Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo during several hours of talks on their investigation tactics and experiences in documenting war crimes in Sudan.

“We were able to see the involvement of certain persons and we felt the accounts we heard and the indications we heard were strong enough for us to name them as possible leads for determining criminal responsibility,” said Jilani.

The ICC prosecutor is determining if the crimes in Darfur fall under those he is authorized to investigate _ war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide committed since its jurisdiction took effect on July 1, 2002.

The commission’s findings point the court’s investigators in the right direction, but are not binding.

The vast Darfur region is the scene of one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. An estimated 180,000 people have died in the upheaval — many from hunger and disease — and about 2 million others have been displaced since the conflict began in February 2003.