Fourth special prosecutor for Darfur resigns

The Special Prosecutor of Darfur Crimes, Ahmed Abdel Mutalib, announced on Tuesday that he has resigned, but refused to give reasons for this decision, six months after he was appointed. Mutalib was the fourth person to be appointed to this position by the attorney general. Sources said the former three prosecutors including Abdel Daim Zumrawi and Nimir Ibrahim Mohamed found the the task almost impossible as senior officials may have been implicated and subsequently tried in court. International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Ocampo noted in his report to the UN Security Council earlier this month that the last three special prosecutors appointed since 2005 have all resigned without ever bringing anyone to trial for crimes committed in Darfur. Ocampo said Nimir Muhammed was appointed on September 27, 2010 and visited North Darfur announcing his intention to begin investigations into an attack on September 2, 2010. He then announced a high level meeting on September 28, 2010 in Khartoum, attended by head of the judiciary Jala Al Din Muhammed Osman, presidential adviser responsible for Darfur Ghazi Salhuddin, the minister of justice Muhammed Bushara Dousa, defence minister Abdel Rahim Muhammed Hussein, interior minister Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid and Muhammed Atta, the director of the National Intelligence and Security Service. Two weeks later, Nimir Muhammed was relieved from his duties as special prosecutor for Darfur and replaced by Abdul Daim Zumrawi, who also resigned without giving an explanation.