Envoys laud ICC Prosecutor Khan’s visit to Sudan

Leading international Ambassadors and Heads of Mission to Sudan, have issued a joint statement welcoming the visit by the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, to Sudan last week, as “the latest demonstration of increased cooperation between the Transitional Government of Sudan and the ICC in pursuing justice for victims of crimes committed by the Al Bashir regime”.

The joint statement signed by Ambassadors and Heads of Mission from Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, welcomes the visit of the ICC prosecutor, as well as “the deepening cooperation between the government of Sudan and the ICC evidenced by the MoU signed yesterday”.

The international envoys also laud “the progress in the case against Ali Kushayb in The Hague, and the government of Sudan’s assistance to the prosecutor, including facilitating the collection of evidence”.

Above all, we welcome the commitment by the Cabinet on 24 June to transfer to the ICC all the individuals in Sudanese custody against whom warrants of arrest have been issued by the Court for crimes In Darfur, the envoys’ statement says.

‘Implementation, including speedy transfer of suspects and provision of all evidence requested by the Court, will be major steps in the fight against decades of impunity’

“Implementation, including speedy transfer of suspects and provision of all evidence requested by the Court, will be major steps in the fight against decades of impunity.”

The envoys also welcome the Cabinet’s vote to proceed with ratifying the Rome Statute as a strong signal of the government’s commitment to advance justice and accountability through full implementation of the Constitutional Declaration and the Juba Peace Agreement.

“Following the 2019 revolution, the government of Sudan has made strong progress on the economy, peace and building a more open society based on the rule of law. The transfer of the remaining suspects to the ICC would mark another significant milestone, demonstrating to all Sudanese and the international community the positive and profound changes resulting from Sudan’s transition,” the joint statement by Ambassadors and Heads of Mission to Sudan concludes.

Khan: ‘actual action, not promises’

As previously reported by Radio Dabanga, ICC Chief Prosecutor Khan, has warned of the dire consequences of impunity for those Sudanese wanted by the court, and said it could lead to more crimes against humanity. ”The nightmare for thousands of Darfuris has not ended.”

In his briefing to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) by videoconference from Sudan last Tuesday – the first ever Security Council briefing from within a country where the ICC is pursuing justice – Khan urged the Council to do more to deliver justice for the people of Darfur.

Following his two-day visit to South Darfur, where he visited Kalma camp, with 300,000 residents one of the largest displacement camps in the region, and the Hasaheisa and Hamidiya camps in and Central Darfur, Khan stressed the need for “actual action, not promises”.