Sudanese govt ‘committed’ to trial of Darfur war criminals

Sudan’s Attorney General, Tajelsir El Hibir, confirmed that the transitional government is committed to implementing peace agreements that mandate the trial of those accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Darfur region, at El Salam Rotana Hotel in Khartoum yesterday.

“This issue is an important part of the Juba Peace Agreement,” El Hibir said during an International Criminal Court (ICC) workshop held by the Darfur Bar Association (DBA) in cooperation with The Democrat newspaper and the Institute for Democracy in Sudan.

Member of the Sovereignty Council Aisha Mousa reported that laws which allow for the trial of those accused of committing crimes in Darfur have been approved by the Sovereignty Council and the Council of Ministers.

She called for reform of judicial institutions and restoration of the apparatus that have been corrupted by the former regime. “There is no peace without justice,” she said, stressing the need for justice to take its course so that the families of the victims can heal.

El Hibir indicated that a complete vision has not yet emerged regarding the status of the trial of former Janjaweed leader Ali Muhammad Ali Abdelrahman (nicknamed Ali Kushayb). He said that the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the ICC in The Hague in the Netherlands on February 14 in relation to the trial of the defendant is a “positive step”.

The DBA said in a statement on Wednesday that it has taken notice of the Attorney General’s directives to his officials at the Public Prosecution to publish the names of those against whom criminal arrest warrants were issued and against whom initial evidence was provided in the first Kerending incidents.