14/12/2005 08:38 - (SA)
New York - A great number of killings, mass rapes and "extremely" serious gender violence were committed in Sudan's Darfur region, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) said on Tuesday, calling for further investigation.
Luis Moreno Ocampo told the UN Security Council that the ICC has gathered a comprehensive "picture of crime" in Darfur.
But he appeared to have rejected a previous UN investigation, which reported the killing, but fell short of calling it genocide.
Ocampo provided no details of the ICC investigation.
The UN investigation last year listed 51 individuals in Sudan believed involved in the killing and the 15-nation council asked the ICC to prosecute them.
But Ocampo said the conclusions of the UN investigation and names of 51 people are not binding on the ICC.
The ICC functions as an independent and separate court, financed and administered by the 100 countries that ratified its convention adopted in Rome in late 1990s.
It is based in The Hague and is co-operating with the UN to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
The US is opposed to the ICC, claiming that it can be used by countries to persecute American diplomats and peacekeepers abroad.
Ocampo said the ICC will investigate and identify persons to be prosecuted for crimes in Darfur.
The UN said more than 180 000 people have been killed since the ethnic conflict erupted in Darfur in February 2003. But human rights organisations said the death toll could be over 300 000.
The Sudanese government has been accused of backing Arab militias fighting two African rebel groups in Darfur.
The fighting has made more than two million people homeless and caused massive economic and social disruption. - Sapa-dpa
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