Security Council holds hot meeting with North Darfur Governor over ICC
October 8, 2010 (EL-FASHER) — UN Security Council delegation ended its technical visit to the restive region of Darfur by a hot meeting with the state authorities where the parties discussed insecurity and the ICC arrest warrant aganist President Omer Al-Bashir.
The visiting UN delegation held a heated discussion with the governor of North Darfur state and his cabinet where the parties talked about the security situation and the ongoing efforts to end the conflict as well as the ICC arrest warrant against the Sudanese President.
The governor Osman Mohamed Yousef Kibir in his speech before the delegation condemned the ICC decision and demanded the immediate withdrawal of Darfur file from the war crimes court.
Susan Rice; US Ambassador to the United Nations, commenting Kibir statements, reiterated the United States determination to reach peace and justice in Darfur. She expressed the support of its government to the ICC to hold accountable the responsible of Darfur crimes.
Rice went to ask about the actions undertaken by the Sudanese government to end impunity in Darfur and prosecute responsible of war crimes.
Infuriated by the remarks, Kibir told Rice that USA is not a state member of the Rome Statute, the founding text of the ICC, adding he “does not understand the secret of its interest in this aspect” according to statement released by the government of North Darfur state.
Although, the governor said the Sudanese justice prosecuted 21 cases and punished those found guilty of atrocities. He added that the Sudanese judiciary was qualified to consider any issue or crime.
Outside the building of North Darfur government where the meeting was held, pro-government demonstrators gathered with banners supporting president Bashir and shouted slogan hostile to the ICC.
After the rejection of the Sudanese government to cooperate with the Hague tribunal, The judges of the ICC issued arrest warrants in 2007 for Ahmed Haroun, state minister for interior at the time and current governor of South Darfur state, and militia commander Ali Mohamed Ali Abdel-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb in connection with Darfur war crimes.
In March 2009, the judges of the Pre-Trial Chamber I issued an arrest warrant for Bashir on seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, which include murder, rape and torture.
In July of this year, the ICC added three counts of genocide to the arrest warrant for the Sudanese president saying “There are reasonable grounds to believe that [Omar al-Bashir] acted with specific intent to destroy in part the Fur, Masaalit and Zaghawa ethnic groups”.
The British Ambassador to the UN Mark Lyall Grant also during the meeting raised the rampant insecurity in the region but the governor contested the figures mentioned by the ambassador terming it of “false information”.
MEETING WITH ABU SHOK IDPS
The delegation before to leave for Khartoum paid a visit to the internally displaced persons in Abu Shok camp located 4km north-west of El-Fasher.
The residents of the camp described their difficult conditions and the deterioration of humanitarian situation in the region. Also, they spoke about the insecurity and blamed the hybrid peacekeeping operation for not improving the situation in this regard.
“We spoke with the UN Security Council delegation about the security situation and the failure of the UNAMID to defend themselves or to protect civilians,” said a resident from the camp who attended the meeting.
The displaced who requested anonymity said they criticized the performances of the peacekeeping operation in presence of its head Ibrahim Gambari who was with the visiting delegations.
He further said they condemned and warned against any move to hand over the five delegates sheltered at the UNAMID police center in Kalama camp in South Darfur state. But according to the resident, Gambari reassured them by saying he would not deliver them to Khartoum.
Sudan demands the hand over of the five IDP delegates including a woman. They are accused of attacks against other displaced persons supportive to a rebel group holding peace talks with the government in Doha last July.
The IDPs also expressed their anger about the failure of the hybrid operation to reach civilians affected by the recent attacks by the army on rebel held positions in Jebel Marra.
UN agencies estimate that some 300,000 people have died and 2.7 million people fled their homes since Darfur rebel groups first took up arms against the Sudanese government in 2003.
Yesterday a UNAMID civilian staff from Hungary was kidnapped from his home in El-Fasher by armed men after the arrival of the Security Council to the town.
The Hungarian foreign ministry Friday said in contact with the Sudanese authorities but declined to give further details.
Lyall Grant, British ambassador excluded any connection between the abduction and the visit of the UN delegation to El-Fasher.
The kidnapping is “an indication of the very difficult conditions in which all the UN workers and international workers are operating in here in Darfur,” he told reporters.
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DASODIKO
Security Council holds hot meeting with North Darfur Governor over ICC
Dear UNSC visiting members
Its to understand that the speech of North Darfur Governor Kibir was not his own speech but dictated behavoir from his masters in Khartoum.In year 2007 three sons belongs to sister of Kibir were hit by Antinov air rais while they were playing food ball infront of their house. His sister up to date lost her mind and dump to speak. The man is money stoodge.
Kibir told fifty of his relatives to stay in desert as rebels and supply them with everything they need, and told them that its because when things turn up they can save and defend family properties. The guys is very naive to tell Rice such stupid words.People of Darfur know what Kibir eats on daily basis. One day he told his family, I will never regret in my life because I hit thr record. A high school graduate, and a primary shcool teacher to become a Governor; he added.
telfajbago
Security Council holds hot meeting with North Darfur Governor over ICC
The haired pro-Government demonstrators mainly brought from Khartoum, who were taken by paid -drive and zeal to shamefully smash the 4 cars of the US embassy; does not reflect the will of Darfur genocide survivors and the suffering people. What the IDPs of Abu Shouk told Suzan Rice is only a few of fathomless and immeasurable crimes and untold suffering the IDPs face on a daily base; and I hope the UN delegation would get an amble chance to visit the camps of western Darfur of Mornei, Garsilla and Dileig where the IDPs were subjected to the protection of their killers “Janjaweed millias ” freely raping them and telling them that; we have been told by Khartoum to rape you in order change your ethnic demography and color. Furthermore, one of the many concerns raised by Abu Shouk IDPs is the unimplemented UNSC toothless resolutions that are opening the peptide of the regime to continue its crimes, therefore I strongly urge the UNSC to reactive its resolutions pertaining to the situation in Darfur and impose a non-fly zone. One of the interesting things in the meeting of the IDPs with Suzan Rice, Gambari who was accused by the IDPs that he signed a deal with the regime, was un able to defend himself saying that he is facing a lot of pressure from the regime in Khartoum.
David Glenn
Security Council holds hot meeting with North Darfur Governor over ICC
Why would the UNSC raise the issue of the ICC warrant against the President with a Governor?I understand if they raise the issue with the Vice-President or the Foreign Minister.
I dont even understand what people in Juba have to do with the ICC Warrant,the UNSC came because of the referandum,who on earth pushed in this issue of the ICC?
I have an idea about who,but rather keep it for now,however I will be back if my friends from Uganda raise it again.