ICC Prosecutor: ‘genocide continues unabated in Darfur’

The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) reported to the United Nations Security Council in New York on Wednesday that “crimes against humanity and genocide continue unabated in Darfur.” In remarks delivered at the invitation of the Council, Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo said that air attacks on civilians and “direct killings” of members of the Zaghawa, Fur and Massalit ethnic groups continued over the last six months. The Government of Sudan denies the allegation of genocide. Sudanese officials typically attribute the situation in Darfur to tribal conflict or resource-based conflict. According to Ocampo, on the other hand, the government targets specific ethnic groups including civilian populations. “Most of the Fur, Zaghawa and Massalit now live in IDP camps. These millions of victims displaced are still subjected today to rapes, terror and conditions of life aimed at the destruction of their communities, constituting genocide,” he stated Wednesday.

EFFORTS TO DESTROY THE IDPS

The prosecutor described incidents of direct killings and bombings targeting civilian populations. He also reiterated his theory that the Government of Sudan is seeking to impose conditions to destroy the displaced population at large. In a written report submitted to the Council, Ocampo detailed efforts by the Government of Sudan that he considered deliberate efforts to “inflict conditions of life calculated to bring about physical destruction” of the displaced. He noted that the government suspended the work of several international NGOs during the initial months of 2011, denied flight clearance to dozens of UN flights, imposed travel restrictions on NGO workers, arrested a dozen immunization workers, and detained IDP community leaders.

 ‘GENOCIDE BY RAPE’

A standing charge upheld by the Judges of the International Criminal Court is that President Bashir is criminally responsible for a government-orchestrated policy of widespread rape in Darfur, constituting the “crime of genocide by causing serious bodily or mental harm, as provided for in article 6(b) of the [Rome] Statute.” Ocampo reiterated this charge today, saying that ‘genocide by rape’ continues in Darfur. “Gender crimes remain the weapon of choice of the Sudanese Armed Forces and its reserve force, the Militia/Janjaweed,” he wrote.

CONCEALING INFORMATION ON CRIMES

“President Al Bashir has not stopped the commission of genocide against the displaced, but he aims to block the dissemination of information about their fate,” said the ICC prosecutor, citing denial of access to patrols of UN peacekeepers, impediment of the release of nutrition surveys by the UN Children’s Agency, and arbitrary arrests of human rights activists. According to Ocampo, the expulsion of the international NGOs in March 2009 — which demonstrated “genocidal intent” on the part of President Bashir — was followed by silence on the part of the NGOs that chose to continue their operations in Darfur. “There has been no independent, publicly available and comprehensive impact assessment of such NGO expulsions,” noted the prosecutor.

Ocampo stressed in particular that the Government of Sudan is actively trying to suppress information about rape cases. He said that that victims of sexual and gender-based violence report cases less frequently because “they know they will suffer retaliation for doing so.” The international NGOs that used to provide treatment, psychosocial support, and referral services for rape victims were expelled in March 2009. None of those services have been restored. This fact was acknowledged by the US Government during testimony of Special Envoy Scott Gration before the US Congress in 2009.

President Omar Al Bashir of Sudan is wanted for arrest on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. He refuses to appear before the International Criminal Court, saying it has no jurisdiction.

—

Read the Prosecutor’s spoken remarks here.

Read Prosecutor’s full written report here.