Darfur displaced renew call to hand remaining war crimes indictees to ICC

The General Coordination of the Displaced and Refugee Camps have renewed their demand for the transitional government to hand over the rest of those indicted for Darfur crimes to the International Criminal Court (ICC). This includes Omar Hasan, Abdelrahim Hussein, and Ahmed Haroun, and all those mentioned during last week’s confirmation of charges session at the ICC in The Hague against former janjaweed leader Ali Kushayb.

The statement by the general coordination coincides with the arrival in Khartoum on Saturday of ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, for a week-long visit to conduct a number of meetings with senior officials in the country. She is also expected to visit Darfur.

Speaking for the general coordination, Yagoub Fawry described the confirmation of charges against Ali Kushayb as “an important and tangible step towards achieving jjustice for the victims and their families, through fair and transparent procedures”.

Fawry welcomed the visit of the ICC prosecutor to Darfur and on behalf of the victims, and thanked “the Public Prosecutor, her assistants, the various court departments, and the victims’ lawyers, for their tireless work to establish justice”.

Fawry reaffirmed the need to provide security on the ground, disarm the militias, and also called for the expulsion of the new settlers from the lands and villages of the displaced and refugees, so that the victims can return to their original areas after being compensated them individually and collectively.

ICC

The hearing to confirm 31 charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes against the former Darfur janjaweed leader, Ali Muhammad Ali Abdelrahman (also known as Ali Kushayb), before Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, the Netherlands, was concluded on Wednesday.

After three days of submissions from the prosecution and legal representation of the victims, Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (ICC), composed of Judge Rosario Salvatore Aitala (Presiding judge), Judge Antoine Kesia-Mbe Mindua, and Judge Tomoko Akane heard their respective closing statements, and will now start their deliberations.

Warrant of arrest

The ICC issued arrest warrants against former Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Ahmed Haroun, and Kushayb in 2007. Kushayb was transferred to the ICC’s custody on June 9, 2020 after surrendering himself voluntarily in the Central African Republic. Upon his arrest, the Sudanese government announced its support for his transfer to the ICC. Kushayb is also charged with a number of crimes by the Sudanese authorities.