ICC Prosecutor: The absolute priority in Darfur today is to stop the violence. All parties must accept peace, and justice
Situation: Darfur
New York, 5 June 2009 – In his ninth briefing to the Security Council on Darfur, ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo sent a message to all parties to the conflict to “stop resorting to violence and crimes. Now.”
“We are at a crossroads,” he said. “The next 6 months will be crucial. Most of the millions of victims of crimes have lived in the camps for 4 years. Youths are unable to move around. There is no education, there are no jobs. If girls and women go outside, they are raped. If boys go outside, they are killed or, in some locations, abducted to fight. There is a generation of child soldiers in the making. There is a generation of victims faced with two options: they can leave the camps and die the same day; they can remain in the camps and die the day after.”
Justice is in motion, noted the Prosecutor: “We have six cases; the Judges have issued three arrest warrants, against President Bashir, Governor Harun and Militia leader Ali Kushayb, they have issued one summons to appear against the President of the URF; they are considering two new summonses against rebel leaders.” Rebel leader Bahr Idriss Abu Garda voluntarily appeared in Court on 18 May, and the confirmation hearing in his case is scheduled for 12 October.
“There is no turning back. The Court and the warrants are not going away. There will be no impunity. If crimes stop, we do not need to intervene further.’’
Arresting the fugitives is a “process” said the Prosecutor. “It can take time. It is the primary responsibility of the Government of the Sudan.”
“The peace process is also underway. Today in Doha, the AU-UN mediation efforts, the Qatari initiative are moving forward.”
The Prosecutor noted that Justice and Peace are working together. “What we need is a united Security Council to continue pushing for both.”
The Office will continue monitoring the situation: any decision affecting the displaced in particular by the Humanitarian Aid Commission; any spillover of violence into Chad; any act by the Ministry of Defence of the Sudan against civilians; any recruitment of child soldiers by the rebels “could fall within our jurisdiction,” he said.
The Office will also continue to build cooperation with international and regional organizations, as provided for in Resolution 1593. The Prosecutor met last week with Prime Minister Al Thani of Qatar, who is leading the Arab League and African Union efforts to mediate the conflict in Darfur; he also spoke with Chairperson Jean Ping of the AU Commission.
“I hope to establish a complementary relationship with the AU High-Level Panel led by former President Thabo Mbeki,” he said. “Working together we can make sure that any woman raped, any abducted child soldier can have access to justice. We have a huge responsibility to the people.”
The International Criminal Court is an independent, permanent court that investigates and prosecutes persons accused of the most serious crimes of international concern, namely genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes if national authorities with jurisdiction are unwilling or unable to do so genuinely. The Office of the Prosecutor is currently investigating in four situations: The Democratic Republic of Congo, Northern Uganda, the Darfur region of Sudan, and the Central African Republic, all still engulfed in various degrees of conflict with victims in urgent need of protection.
05.06.2009 – Ninth Report of the Prosecutor of the ICC to the UN Security Council pursuant to UNSC 1593 (2005)
05.06.2009 - Statement to the United Nations Security Council on the situation in Darfur, the Sudan, pursuant to UNSCR 1593 (2005)
For more information:
In New York: Ms Nicola Fletcher, OTP Media Liaison
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Email: [email protected]
In The Hague: OTP Public Information Unit
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Source: Office of the Prosecutor