Darfur rebels regret UN resolution over ICC indictment
August 1, 2008 (KHARTOUM) — Darfur rebels on Friday criticized a U.N. Security Council resolution linking a U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force to African concerns at a move to indict Sudan’s president for war crimes.
But the rebels said it was no victory for Khartoum and urged the world body to support the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) which last month sought an arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in the remote west.
“They should not have linked the security and the legal issues in Darfur – this is international justice,” Abdallah Harran, political secretary of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) faction led by Abdel Wahed Mohamed el-Nur told Reuters from Darfur.
The African Union and Arab League have expressed their support for Sudan saying the ICC move could threaten the peace process. Rights groups hailed it as a blow to impunity.
Sudan and its allies had wanted the resolution on renewing the mandate of the joint U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force (UNAMID) to also suspend the investigation of the ICC but the compromise was the promise to discuss it.
“They haven’t made a full commitment to really say that they we are going to delay the court’s work,” said Sherif Harir from the powerful SLA Unity faction. “It’s not a victory for Khartoum.”
JEM’s deputy chief of staff, Suleiman Sandal, told Reuters from Darfur the Security Council should regard the concern of Arab and African countries in the context of their own fears of being brought to account by international justice for crime against their own people.
“All these countries are dictatorships and many violate human rights and commit crimes against their people,” he said. “They are afraid also to be accused and go to the court.”
The United States abstained on the resolution because of the reference to African concerns on the ICC move against Bashir, and the rebels joined rights groups in their praise for Washington’s protest.
The U.N. Security Council can suspend the ICC investigation for 12 months at a time if they felt it was detrimental to peace in the region. But Western nations have shown reluctance to make such a move.
International experts estimate some 200,000 died and 2.5 million were driven from their homes after mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms in early 2003 accusing central government of neglect.
Khartoum mobilized mostly Arab militia to quell the revolt. Last year the ICC indicted a militia leader and a junior government minister for war crimes. Khartoum refused to hand them over.
(Reuters)
William Dimo Deng - Melbourne - Australia
Darfur rebels regret UN resolution over ICC indictment
Up to now No change to ICC indicment warrant of Omar Al-Bashir.the UN resolution over ICC indictment, does not mean dely of ICC decision, the resolution says they only concern about peace process in sudan, which objected by the USA, that the language is not accepted and can give the regime bad thought, and UNSC should divide the diffirent betweent crime agains the humanity and work to help humanity, as AU UN peacekeeper in Darfur.
The ICC Will go forwards, and Omar Al-Bashir will be arrested, and will be brought into justice.
Sudan said they did not sign Roma act,but according to the act of Roma,they got power to arrest any warrant in the country that had signed the resolution of Roma, that meant Omar Al-Bashir will be arrested.
53 NAMES INDICTMENT WARRANT ACCORDING TO ICC
The ICC indictment warrant 53 Sudanese, but only three names were announced,they are, Omar Al-Bashir and Kushape and Janjaweet leader.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO OTHER 50 WAARNT?
The arrest of three warrant will bring the others, and I belived, Ali Osman Taha Nafi Ali Nafi Sheik To-Rabi and some elements that support the regime to committe crime in Darfur.
If former Bossnian president arrested,and now with ICC in Hague,and his crime genocide only 8,000, what about 10,000 according to regime? and the world knows 300,000 civilians genocide according to international community.NO WAY TO OMAR AL-BASHIR,HE WILL BE UNDER RUN LIKE TERROR LEADER OSSAMA BIN LA-DEN AND WHEN EVER HE HIDE HE WILL BE ARRESTED.