ICC issues Sudan minister, Janjaweed leader warrants

May 2, 2007 (THE HAGUE) — The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for a Sudanese government minister and a janjaweed militia leader, both suspected of committing war crimes in Darfur, the court said Wednesday.

The warrants were a crucial step toward bringing atrocities in the Sudanese region before a panel of international judges in The Hague. However, Sudanese authorities have in the past refused to arrest and turn over suspects to the court and it was unclear whether either suspect would surrender.

“The judges have issued arrest warrants. As the territorial state, the government of the Sudan has a legal duty to arrest Ahmad Harun and Ali Kushayb,” Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said in a statement. “This is the International Criminal Court’s decision, and the government has to respect it.”

In February, Moreno-Ocampo named Harun, Sudan’s Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, and Kushayb, a janjaweed militia leader, as suspects in a total of 51 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity including the murder, rape, torture and persecution of civilians in Darfur.

(AP)