Yesterday, The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor on sought arrest warrants for three Darfur
rebel leaders over a deadly attack on African Union peacekeepers in 2007 in Haskanita, Darfur. The Darfur advocacy community responded with praise for the fairness of the process of the International Criminal Court, and hope that the perpetrators of all of the most serious crimes in Darfur will be brought to account.
The Save Darfur Coalition‘s Jerry Fowler:
“While we don’t equate this horrendous attack with the systematic campaign of destruction of violence orchestrated by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir – we strongly denounced this attack when it occurred and applaud Prosecutor Moreno-Ocampo for pursuing the responsible parties. All actors in Sudan must recognize this fundamental truth: those who obstruct peace, security and lasting stability and who target civilians must be held to account.
As we have previously noted, the focus of attention must now shift back to the U.N. Security Council, which has the responsibility to end the crisis and bring peace. So far, the council has abdicated that responsibility. It has refused to act on standing ICC arrest warrants, failed to provide the necessary equipment to UNAMID, and has allowed the Sudanese to both obstruct peacekeeper deployment and continue to use violence and destruction against its own population. That must end. Moreno-Ocampo has acted. We call again on the council to follow suit.”
Human Rights Watch‘s Richard Dicker:
“Civilians rely on peacekeepers for protection and any hope for restoring security for civilians in Darfur depends on peacekeepers being able to do their job
These warrant requests send a strong message that such crimes will not be tolerated”
The Enough Project‘s John Prendergast, John Norris and Omer Ismail:
“The Chief Prosecutor’s actions are a powerful reminder that the Court will pursue justice with an even hand and follow the chain of evidence with regard to crimes against humanity wherever it leads.
Today’s move by the prosecutor makes clear that repeated claims by the Sudanese government that it is being unfairly targeted by the Court are without merit. Now that government officials, rebels, and militia leaders all have been subject to I.C.C. actions, it is clear that the Court is pursuing its work in a professional and impartial manner. Further, this balanced pursuit of accountability underscores the importance of all sides in the conflict partaking in credible peace talks and forging a lasting solution…
Peace remains possible in Sudan, and today the Chief Prosecutor took an important step in helping the international community fulfill that goal.”
The opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Save Darfur Coalition.
