ICC barred from Darfur

ISN SECURITY WATCH (Wednesday, 14 December: 13.30 CET) -

Sudanese officials have barred representatives of the International Criminal Court (ICC) from entering the region of Darfur, news agencies report.

Justice Minister Mohammed Ali al-Mardi told local media on Tuesday that ICC officials had no jurisdiction in Sudan.

The ICC is in the country to investigate killings, mass rapes, and other atrocities committed in western Sudan.

ICC prosecutors said they were in the process of interviewing 100 potential witnesses in 17 countries about the atrocities.

ICC prosecutor Moreno Ocampo told reporters he hoped to gain permission to visit Sudan’s special court and other judicial bodies that are investigating crimes in Darfur early next year.

Violence, killings, and rapes have escalated in the past two months in contravention of a ceasefire. Earlier this month, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned that Darfur could descend into complete lawlessness and anarchy.

The Darfur conflict erupted in February 2003 when the two main rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Army/Movement (SLA/M) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), took up arms to fight what they called the discrimination and oppression practiced in the region by the Sudanese government.

The government is accused of unleashing an Arabic-speaking militia - known as the Janjaweed - on civilians in an attempt to quash the rebellion.