Sudan calls for int’l cooperation to arrest Abu-Kershola war crimes suspects
June 23, 2013, (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s attorney general Omar Ahmed Mohammed said today that the minister of justice, Mohamed Bishara Dosa, has briefed the last session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on the violations committed by the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) umbrella rebel coalition in Abu-Kershola.
Following recapture of Abu-Kershola by the Sudanese army, Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the international community to impose crippling sanctions on SRF rebels claiming that they have committed crimes including the use of citizens as human shields, killing of children and rape of women.
The Sudanese foreign ministry on its end claimed that courts-martial established by the SRF rebels during their takeover of these towns led to summary executions based on ethnicity.
But the SRF denied committing crimes in Um Rawaba and Abu-kershola.
The SRF leading figure, Yasser Arman, has called to form an international committee to investigate human rights violations by both sides in southern and northern Kordofan.
“Whoever is found committing crimes and war crimes should be held responsible and accountable”, he challenged
The attorney general said that a documentary including images of violations and breaches of international humanitarian law and human rights law by the SRF was presented by the minister of justice to ambassadors, civil society organizations, and non-governmental organizations at the UNHRC meeting.
He said in an interview with the state news agency SUNA, that the minister of justice appealed to the international community to condemn these violations and cooperate with Sudan to capture the perpetrators.
The Sudanese official pointed out that the charges in Abu-Kershola incidents are filed against the SRF and namely its chief of staff Abdel-Aziz Al-Hilu, adding that they will pursue them through the Interpol because atrocities were committed against civilian population.
He further said that the investigation committee on Abu-Kershola incidents which was formed by the ministry of justices and headed by the prosecutor general in Um Rawaba has filed charges under articles 130 premeditated murder, 175 looting,167 banditry, 182 damage, and 183 infringement on private or government property.
Following his third mission to Sudan, the UN independent expert on the situation of human rights in the country, Mashood Adebayo Baderin, issued a press statement last Thursday, expressing his regret that he was not able to fulfill his initial plan to visit South Kordofan “for security reasons”.
He highlighted that SRF’s attacks in Abu-Kershola and Um Rawaba “seriously affected innocent civilians and resulted in human rights violations and displacements which are very worrying.
“I had the opportunity to meet some of the victims during my visit to Al-Rahd in North Kordofan. They gave disturbing accounts of the ordeals they went through during the attack”, said Badern.
(ST)