ICC prosecutor says Sudan in denial over Darfur “suffering”
June 3, 2008 (WASHINGTON) – The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Luis Moreno-Ocampo accused the Sudanese government of being insensitive to the “of the Sudanese people in Darfur”.
“Crimes being committed today in Darfur cannot be denied, or minimized. Decisions to commit crimes, to deny crimes, to disguise crimes are taken at the highest level. Denial of crimes, by the authorities that vowed to protect Darfurians, is an additional harm to the victims” Ocampo said in his report obtained by Sudan Tribune.
The ICC prosecutor will submit his semi-annual report to the UN Security Council (UNSC) next Thursday on the progress of the investigation of Darfur war crimes.
In his report Ocampo provided more insight into two cases his office is currently investigating with one of them expected to be completed next July.
“The second case focuses on the pattern of repeated attacks on civilians, in particular the Fur, Massalit and Zaghawa……the third case is focused on the targeting of AU and UN peacekeepers, aid workers; it is centered on the September 2007 rebel attack on Haskanita” he said.
The judges of the ICC issued their first arrest warrants for suspects accused of war crimes in Sudan’s Darfur region in early May.
The warrants were issued for Ahmed Haroun, state minister for humanitarian affairs, and militia commander Ali Mohamed Ali Abdel-Rahman, also know as Ali Kushayb. Sudan has so far rejected handing over the two suspects.
Haroun was also promoted within the cabinet while Kushayb was released from government custody after being investigated for his role in some crimes committed in South and West Darfur.
Ocampo indicated his intention to pursue Sudanese officials at a higher level than Haroun in his upcoming case before the judges in the coming weeks.
“The continuing role of Ahmad Haroun as Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs, in particular in relation to the displaced, is indicative of the support he receives from superiors. But he is not alone” he said.
However the Argentinean born lawyer provide names or numbers of officials he is targeting though he suggested that the Sudanese government in its entirety are carrying out a “criminal plan” in Darfur.
The ICC prosecutor said that Khartoum mobilized “the whole state apparatus, including the armed forces, the intelligence services, the diplomatic and public information bureaucracies, and the justice system” as part of that plan.
He cited recent attacks by the Sudanese army against civilian villages in Darfur particularly those utilizing the air force causing mass displacement. Ocampo also said that Khartoum and its notorious Janjaweed militias “rape girls and women who leave the camps to fetch firewood or water….. as young as 5 or 6 years old”.
But Ocampo made clear that he needs the international community’s help to bring the war crimes suspect to justice.
“The Office [ICC Prosecutor office] urges the international community, the Council and all UN members to send a strong and unanimous message to the GoS on the execution of the warrants” he said in the report.
The UN Security Council (UNSC) which asked the ICC to investigate Darfur crimes under a Chapter VII mandate in resolution 1593 three years ago, appears reluctant to force Sudan’s compliance.
Last December China, Russia and Qatar blocked a presidential statement supporting the arrest of Darfur war crime suspect and their extradition to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
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)