ICC formally requests the extradition of Darfur war crimes suspects
By Wasil Ali
June 6, 2007 (Hague) — The International Criminal Court (ICC) transmitted a formal request to the Sudanese government for the extradition of two Darfur war crimes suspects.
The warrants were issued for Ahmed Haroun, state minister for humanitarian affairs, and militia commander Ali Mohamed Ali Abdelrahman, also know as Ali Kushayb. Sudan has so far rejected handing over the two suspects.
The request issued by the registry division at the ICC noted that Khartoum had an obligation to “cooperate fully with [the ICC]” under the aegis of UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution 1593 which referred the situation in Darfur to the ICC.
Similar requests were sent simultaneously to the member countries of the UN Security Council, State parties of the ICC in addition to Egypt, Libya, Ethiopia and Eritrea.
The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) published a notice for the arrest of Haroun on its website yesterday. The ICC signed an agreement with the INTERPOL enabling it to use its telecommunications network and databases.
The Chief Prosecutor of the ICC Luis Moreno-Ocampo is expected to brief the UNSC on Thursday on the latest developments regarding the Darfur case. Court officials speaking by Sudan Tribune declined to say whether Ocampo will request the intervention of the UNSC in forcing Khartoum to hand over the suspects. Sudan has routinely rejected the jurisdiction of the ICC over its citizens.
However Ocampo expressed confidence that the arrest warrants against the two Darfur war crime suspects will be executed after meeting with the Secretary-General of the Arab league Amr Moussa in Cairo last week.
Ocampo has originally requested that the ICC judges issue a summons to appear against the two suspects instead of an arrest warrant. The prosecutor however, was unable to convince the judges that a summons to appear will ensure the suspects’ appearance before the court.
The new development is likely to increase pressure on Khartoum as it consistently rejected the international community’s push for the deployment of UN peacekeepers in the war ravaged region.
Sudan has not ratified the Rome Statue, but the UN Security Council triggered the provisions under the Statue that enables it to refer situations in non-State parties to the world court if it deems that it is a threat to international peace and security.
(ST)