Darfur expatriates speak out against delay of ICC move

September 25, 2008 (WASHINGTON) — An alliance of Sudanese and Darfuri expatriates on Tuesday publicly urged the UN Security Council to veto any effort to delay the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigations of crimes in Darfur.

In an open letter to Ambassador Michel Kafando, who represents Burkina Faso on the UN Security Council (UNSC), the group of over 100 leaders argued that delaying the investigation and prosecution of Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir under Article 16 of the Rome Statute will not bring peace to the region.

The group came together following a meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council and prior to a high level meeting of the Security Council – chaired by Ambassador Kafando – on mediation and settlement of disputes, where Darfur was to be a topic of discussion.

Under the Rome Statue, the treaty governing the ICC, the UNSC can invoke Article 16 of the treaty to suspend jurisdiction of the world court in a case for up to one year and can be renewed indefinitely. However, such a resolution requires the affirmative votes of 9 UNSC members without a veto from a permanent member of the council.

“The people of Sudan — and particularly Darfur — have cried out for security, peace and justice for the last five years only to see the humanitarian and political crisis worsen in Darfur,” the letter notes. “It is both the moral and legal obligation of the international community that the perpetrators of these heinous crimes be held accountable. As such, we give our unequivocal support to Mr. Moreno-Ocampo’s decision which seeks to provide much delayed accountability for those responsible for the destruction of the lives and livelihoods of Darfuris.”

Signatories to the letter hail from diaspora communities in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Egypt, France, Italy, Libya, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States.

The diaspora leaders, who represent civil society and human rights organizations, said that a delay of the ICC process “would embolden a government in Khartoum which has repeatedly broken promises” and “whose true commitment to human rights can be found in the pages of [Moreno-Ocampo’s] arrest warrant and not the recent pledges of cooperation from Sudanese government officials.”

The letter to Ambassador Kafando pledged “unequivocal support to Mr. Moreno-Ocampo’s decision.” The statement was publicized by Save Darfur Coalition, an alliance of more than 180 faith-based, advocacy and human rights organizations.

(ST)