KALMA CAMP, Sudan–Refugees in this crowded camp – where mass graves hold the victims of Sudanese government attacks against them – see little hope in the latest effort to end the war in Darfur.
What they want is justice.
And for many, getting justice means putting Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on trial for genocide.
Khalthoum Adam, a 50-year-old woman in Kalma Camp, says even if a peace deal is reached, she will not return to her home village near Kalma unless there is a trial. She fears violence by Arab camel herders she says are holding the land she and her family were driven out of by attack planes and government militia five years ago.
"They will be sending us to another danger" if camp residents are forced to return home under a peace agreement, she said. "If (al-Bashir) doesn't go to trial, we will stay in the camps."
This week, prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo is to present details to The Hague-based International Criminal Court outlining what he says is al-Bashir's role in overseeing the systematic targeting of Darfur's main Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa tribes. Read more >>>>>>>>
Monday, November 17, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Darfur refugees seek justice over peace
KALMA CAMP, Sudan (AP) — Refugees in this crowded camp — where mass graves hold the victims of one of the bloodiest Sudanese government attacks against them — see little hope in a new drive for peace aimed at ending the nearly six-year war in Darfur. What they want is justice.
For many of the refugees, that means putting Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on trial for genocide.
Khalthoum Adam, a 50-year-old woman in Kalma Camp, says that peace deal or no, without a trial she won't return to her home village not far from Kalma. She fears violence by Arab camel herders she says are still holding the land she and her family were driven out of by attacking planes and government militia five years ago.
"They will be sending us to another danger" if camp residents are forced to return home as part of a peace agreement, she said. "If (al-Bashir) doesn't go to trial, we will stay in the camps."
Adam spoke as she emerged from Kalma with a group of women to collect grain from nearby fields, guarded by U.N. peacekeepers to prevent the frequent attacks on women who dare step out of the camps.
Distrust of al-Bashir and his Arab-led government is deep and bitter among the 2.7 million mostly ethnic Africans driven from their homes. Some observers say their fears must be taken into account amid new, still struggling efforts to get Darfur rebel leaders and the government back to the negotiating table. Read more >>>>>>>>>
For many of the refugees, that means putting Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on trial for genocide.
Khalthoum Adam, a 50-year-old woman in Kalma Camp, says that peace deal or no, without a trial she won't return to her home village not far from Kalma. She fears violence by Arab camel herders she says are still holding the land she and her family were driven out of by attacking planes and government militia five years ago.
"They will be sending us to another danger" if camp residents are forced to return home as part of a peace agreement, she said. "If (al-Bashir) doesn't go to trial, we will stay in the camps."
Adam spoke as she emerged from Kalma with a group of women to collect grain from nearby fields, guarded by U.N. peacekeepers to prevent the frequent attacks on women who dare step out of the camps.
Distrust of al-Bashir and his Arab-led government is deep and bitter among the 2.7 million mostly ethnic Africans driven from their homes. Some observers say their fears must be taken into account amid new, still struggling efforts to get Darfur rebel leaders and the government back to the negotiating table. Read more >>>>>>>>>
Friday, November 14, 2008
If peace comes to Darfur, thank the International Criminal Court
By David Blair
When Sudan's military dictator declared a unilateral ceasefire in Darfur this week, he was conducting the biggest plea bargain in history. President Omar al-Bashir, who seized power in a coup in 1989 and leads one of Africa's most ruthless regimes, did not try to halt Darfur's bloodshed out of the kindness of his heart. On the contrary, for the past five years, his armed forces and their associated militias, popularly known as the janjaweed or "devils on horseback", have pillaged villages at will, waging a ruthless war that has claimed some 300,000 lives, either from violence, starvation or disease.
Instead, Mr Bashir called the ceasefire because he faces a little legal difficulty. In July, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, asked for Sudan's leader to be formally charged with three counts of genocide, five of crimes against humanity and two of war crimes.
At present, the ICC's "pre-trial chamber" is considering this request. So far, Mr Bashir has not been formally charged and no arrest warrant exists in his name. But this could change quite soon. Early next year, the judges will probably decide whether to uphold Mr Moreno-Ocampo's accusations. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>
When Sudan's military dictator declared a unilateral ceasefire in Darfur this week, he was conducting the biggest plea bargain in history. President Omar al-Bashir, who seized power in a coup in 1989 and leads one of Africa's most ruthless regimes, did not try to halt Darfur's bloodshed out of the kindness of his heart. On the contrary, for the past five years, his armed forces and their associated militias, popularly known as the janjaweed or "devils on horseback", have pillaged villages at will, waging a ruthless war that has claimed some 300,000 lives, either from violence, starvation or disease.
Instead, Mr Bashir called the ceasefire because he faces a little legal difficulty. In July, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, asked for Sudan's leader to be formally charged with three counts of genocide, five of crimes against humanity and two of war crimes.
At present, the ICC's "pre-trial chamber" is considering this request. So far, Mr Bashir has not been formally charged and no arrest warrant exists in his name. But this could change quite soon. Early next year, the judges will probably decide whether to uphold Mr Moreno-Ocampo's accusations. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Obama and Darfur
The crisis in Darfur is the most pressing humanitarian issue for President-elect Barack Obama. He can leverage the goodwill and pride in his recent electoral success to pressure the parties in Sudan to uphold the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in 2005 -- sending a powerful signal.
At least 250,000 people -- some estimates range as high as 500,000 -- have died and approximately 2.2 million have been displaced since 2003. In turn, the Sudanese militia, in tandem with an Arab militia known as the janjaweed ("devils on horseback"), waged a brutal campaign of genocide and ethnic cleansing against men, women and children.
An Obama administration needs to uphold the cornerstones of American policy established during the Bush administrations. Since 2003, the United States has placed Sudan on its list of state sponsors of terrorism, and since 2007 has imposed economic sanctions. Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ali al-Sadiq told Agence France-Presse after Mr. Obama's victory that Khartoum "would like to see some real change between Sudan and the United States." "Real change" does not mean relaxing the pressure on Sudanese President, Lt. Gen. Omar Bashir, who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity. Read more >>>>>>
Friday, November 07, 2008
Student documents Darfur genocide
Remnants of slaughtered people are shown as a reminder to what happened during Rwanda's civil war.
Rows of human skulls and heaps of bones filled the Ntarama Genocide Memorial in Uganda, surrounded by the remnants of clothes, I.D. cards and homework assignments that commemorated the people slaughtered at the site.
For U student Sheldon Wardwell, a junior in political science, the image he saw in his trip to Uganda and Rwanda in 2007 has resonated in his mind.
"When you're going to school, working and living life, it's easy to put this off like it's nothing," Wardwell said. "But when you've seen firsthand how they're every bit a person as you are...it's hard to let it go."
Wardwell will return to Africa in December to interview Darfurian refugees in eastern Chad-a research expedition to document the impacts of the Sudanese genocide.Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>
Rows of human skulls and heaps of bones filled the Ntarama Genocide Memorial in Uganda, surrounded by the remnants of clothes, I.D. cards and homework assignments that commemorated the people slaughtered at the site.
For U student Sheldon Wardwell, a junior in political science, the image he saw in his trip to Uganda and Rwanda in 2007 has resonated in his mind.
"When you're going to school, working and living life, it's easy to put this off like it's nothing," Wardwell said. "But when you've seen firsthand how they're every bit a person as you are...it's hard to let it go."
Wardwell will return to Africa in December to interview Darfurian refugees in eastern Chad-a research expedition to document the impacts of the Sudanese genocide.Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>
Kristallnacht remembered at Barry University in Miami Shores
BY JAWEED KALEEM
jkaleem@MiamiHerald.com
Seventy years ago this week, one of the first coordinated campaigns of the Holocaust began in Germany and Austria.
It was the night of Nov. 9, and the Nazi regime had alerted police officers and firefighters to stand by for two nights as more than 1,000 synagogues were burned or damaged, thousands of Jewish businesses were looted, and at least 91 Jews were killed, while 30,000 were arrested and later sent to concentration camps.
Thursday afternoon, more than 100 students and faculty members at Barry University in Miami Shores gathered around candlelit tables to observe the massacre that came to be called Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass.
''Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it,'' said Rabbi Solomon Schiff of the Rabbinical Association of Greater Miami, flanked by Israeli and American flags. ''Hopefully, we've learned our lesson.'' He reminded the audience of history's parallels to today, citing genocide in places such as Darfur, as well as racial and religious discrimination in the United States. He wasn't speaking only to the uninitiated. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>
jkaleem@MiamiHerald.com
Seventy years ago this week, one of the first coordinated campaigns of the Holocaust began in Germany and Austria.
It was the night of Nov. 9, and the Nazi regime had alerted police officers and firefighters to stand by for two nights as more than 1,000 synagogues were burned or damaged, thousands of Jewish businesses were looted, and at least 91 Jews were killed, while 30,000 were arrested and later sent to concentration camps.
Thursday afternoon, more than 100 students and faculty members at Barry University in Miami Shores gathered around candlelit tables to observe the massacre that came to be called Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass.
''Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it,'' said Rabbi Solomon Schiff of the Rabbinical Association of Greater Miami, flanked by Israeli and American flags. ''Hopefully, we've learned our lesson.'' He reminded the audience of history's parallels to today, citing genocide in places such as Darfur, as well as racial and religious discrimination in the United States. He wasn't speaking only to the uninitiated. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Letter to President-Elect Barack Obama: A Peace Surge for Sudan
By John Prendergast, John Norris, Jerry Fowler
This is the first in a series of letters to the next president spelling out a practical roadmap to end the crisis in Sudan.
The message of Sudan activists all over The United States is clear:
Don’t try to contain the damage from the war in Darfur—end the war.
Don’t just declare that genocide is taking place—end the genocide.
Don’t just manage the consequences of crisis after crisis in Sudan—end these crises.
In short, President-Elect Obama must lead a concerted international peace surge for Sudan, and diplomacy must be backed by well-conceived and consistently escalating pressure on Khartoum and other combatants to create the proper conditions for a lasting peace. More effective protection of civilians and continued steps toward accountability for crimes against humanity, which are vital in their own right, will help advance this peace surge.
Five-and-a-half years into Darfur’s crisis, and three-and-a-half years after the signing of a peace deal for southern Sudan (the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, or CPA), there is no prospect of a peace deal for Darfur and no coherent effort to ensure that the CPA gets implemented. This is a damning indictment of U.S. and international efforts in Sudan to date. Despite an abundance of rhetoric, it is clear to all parties, including the Sudanese government, that the United States government and its international partners are content simply to manage the consequences of the crisis in Sudan, rather than resolve the situation. Read more >>>>>>>>
This is the first in a series of letters to the next president spelling out a practical roadmap to end the crisis in Sudan.
The message of Sudan activists all over The United States is clear:
Don’t try to contain the damage from the war in Darfur—end the war.
Don’t just declare that genocide is taking place—end the genocide.
Don’t just manage the consequences of crisis after crisis in Sudan—end these crises.
In short, President-Elect Obama must lead a concerted international peace surge for Sudan, and diplomacy must be backed by well-conceived and consistently escalating pressure on Khartoum and other combatants to create the proper conditions for a lasting peace. More effective protection of civilians and continued steps toward accountability for crimes against humanity, which are vital in their own right, will help advance this peace surge.
Five-and-a-half years into Darfur’s crisis, and three-and-a-half years after the signing of a peace deal for southern Sudan (the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, or CPA), there is no prospect of a peace deal for Darfur and no coherent effort to ensure that the CPA gets implemented. This is a damning indictment of U.S. and international efforts in Sudan to date. Despite an abundance of rhetoric, it is clear to all parties, including the Sudanese government, that the United States government and its international partners are content simply to manage the consequences of the crisis in Sudan, rather than resolve the situation. Read more >>>>>>>>
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Two Darfur girls raped: peace force
KHARTOUM: Two girls aged 11 and 12 and three women were raped by men wearing military uniforms in Sudan’s Darfur region, peacekeepers said yesterday.
The joint UN/African Union Unamid peacekeeping force said it would not release details of the date or place of the sex attacks because of high sensitivity over the issue.
But force spokesman Noureddine Mezni said the crimes had been “documented” over the past week.
Activists and Western governments have accused government-backed militias and other armed groups of carrying out widespread rapes during the five-year conflict, which international experts say has killed more than 200,000 people.
Khartoum denies there has been any organised campaign of rape, while allowing that individual cases may have occurred >>>>>>>>>>>>>
The joint UN/African Union Unamid peacekeeping force said it would not release details of the date or place of the sex attacks because of high sensitivity over the issue.
But force spokesman Noureddine Mezni said the crimes had been “documented” over the past week.
Activists and Western governments have accused government-backed militias and other armed groups of carrying out widespread rapes during the five-year conflict, which international experts say has killed more than 200,000 people.
Khartoum denies there has been any organised campaign of rape, while allowing that individual cases may have occurred >>>>>>>>>>>>>
Saturday, November 01, 2008
The people of Darfur support The Chief Prosecutor of The International Criminal Court Mr. Moreno-Ocampo in the indictment of Sudanese president Omar H
His Excellency Luis Moreno-Ocampo
The Chief Prosecutor of The International Criminal Court
The Hague, October 31st, 2008
The people of Darfur support The Chief Prosecutor of The International Criminal Court Mr. Moreno-Ocampo in the indictment of Sudanese president Omar Hassan el Bashir
Your Excellency The Chief Prosecutor,
The signatories to this letter are representatives of the people of Darfur in Diaspora. The few who have assembled here today, from different parts of the globe, would like to express their utmost gratitude and emphatic support to the work of the International Criminal Court in pursuit for justice particularly for the innocent Darfuris who have endured a bitter experience of state sponsored atrocities for quite a long time. We do not only represent the voice of the oppressed masses of Darfur in their all walks of life but also express the feelings of the silent peace-loving masses of our globe.
Life offers very little to cherish in the absence of peace and peace can never be realized without justice. Peace and justice can not and shall not be traded with each other. Humanity has had enough of tyrannies and rouge regimes that do not only devalue human life but intend to destroy humanity. Grave crimes against humanity and impunity under the guise of sovereignty should not be unaccounted for. The credit goes to International Criminal Court with you as its Chief Prosecutor to render an unprecedented service to humanity.
The innocent civilian population of Darfur, as you are aware, has been victim of the worst criminal acts in the 21st century for no reason other than the revolt of some of their sons against the persistent injustices they have been enduring for decades. The regime in Khartoum is directly and solely responsible for all the mass killings, rape, torture, and forced displacement of our people. We genuinely value the efforts of The Chief Prosecutor of ICC and his team to have indicted the president of the Sudan Omar Hassan el Bashir for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. Genocide and other grave atrocities in Darfur have been, as are still being, orchestrated, financed and systematically carried out under direct supervision of Omar el Bashir
Justice and peace in Darfur and the Sudan will prevail only when the principal perpetrators of the crimes against humanity and war crimes are held accountable. What happened in Darfur is directly attributable to the regime’s similar outrageous practices in South Sudan and the Nuba Mountains with complete impunity. Only law and international justice can deter the repetition of the same sad human tragedies. If the international community in fact believes in “never again”, they should unconditionally and robustly support the exertion of the International Criminal Court and its Chief Prosecutor to bring the perpetrators of gross human atrocities to justice.
Peace-loving people of Darfur fully and categorically support your endeavours to end genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur and the rest of the world.
We are confident in your unshakeable determination to proceed in the quest for justice against all odds.
Sincerely yours,
Signatories:
Ahmed M. Mohamedain, The Hague
Darfur Union, The Netherlands
Khatir M. Kayabil
Darfur People’s Union in UK and Northern Ireland
U.K
Abdelbagi Jibril
Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre, Geneva
Switzerland
Gamal Adam
Darfur Association of Canada
Calgary Branch
Canada
Abdelhadi Abbakar
Darfur Call, Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Niemat Ahmadi
Darfuri Leaders Network
United States
Hafiz Bassy
Darfur Community Association of Australia Inc.
Australia
Darfur Australia Network
Australia
Hafiz Bassy
Mohamadain Ishag
Darfur For culture And Documentation Organization
Belgium
Mansour Ahmed
The Fur Cultural Revival
Portland, Maine, USA
Mr, ISSA THAR
Darfur Uninon
France
Najmaldin Musa Abdul karim
Darfur Internally Displaced Peoples and Refugees Union
De. Nagib Nagmeldin
Amel Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation, Khartoum
Sudan
Mr. Abdelmageed Salih Abker
Peace Youth Association; Khartoum
Sudan
Abdelraheem Haroun
Darfur Democratic Forum, Khartoum
Sudan
Abdelrahman Algasim
Darfur Bar Association, Khartoum
Sudan
Drar Adam
Darfur Call Organization, Khartoum
Sudan
The Chief Prosecutor of The International Criminal Court
The Hague, October 31st, 2008
The people of Darfur support The Chief Prosecutor of The International Criminal Court Mr. Moreno-Ocampo in the indictment of Sudanese president Omar Hassan el Bashir
Your Excellency The Chief Prosecutor,
The signatories to this letter are representatives of the people of Darfur in Diaspora. The few who have assembled here today, from different parts of the globe, would like to express their utmost gratitude and emphatic support to the work of the International Criminal Court in pursuit for justice particularly for the innocent Darfuris who have endured a bitter experience of state sponsored atrocities for quite a long time. We do not only represent the voice of the oppressed masses of Darfur in their all walks of life but also express the feelings of the silent peace-loving masses of our globe.
Life offers very little to cherish in the absence of peace and peace can never be realized without justice. Peace and justice can not and shall not be traded with each other. Humanity has had enough of tyrannies and rouge regimes that do not only devalue human life but intend to destroy humanity. Grave crimes against humanity and impunity under the guise of sovereignty should not be unaccounted for. The credit goes to International Criminal Court with you as its Chief Prosecutor to render an unprecedented service to humanity.
The innocent civilian population of Darfur, as you are aware, has been victim of the worst criminal acts in the 21st century for no reason other than the revolt of some of their sons against the persistent injustices they have been enduring for decades. The regime in Khartoum is directly and solely responsible for all the mass killings, rape, torture, and forced displacement of our people. We genuinely value the efforts of The Chief Prosecutor of ICC and his team to have indicted the president of the Sudan Omar Hassan el Bashir for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. Genocide and other grave atrocities in Darfur have been, as are still being, orchestrated, financed and systematically carried out under direct supervision of Omar el Bashir
Justice and peace in Darfur and the Sudan will prevail only when the principal perpetrators of the crimes against humanity and war crimes are held accountable. What happened in Darfur is directly attributable to the regime’s similar outrageous practices in South Sudan and the Nuba Mountains with complete impunity. Only law and international justice can deter the repetition of the same sad human tragedies. If the international community in fact believes in “never again”, they should unconditionally and robustly support the exertion of the International Criminal Court and its Chief Prosecutor to bring the perpetrators of gross human atrocities to justice.
Peace-loving people of Darfur fully and categorically support your endeavours to end genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur and the rest of the world.
We are confident in your unshakeable determination to proceed in the quest for justice against all odds.
Sincerely yours,
Signatories:
Ahmed M. Mohamedain, The Hague
Darfur Union, The Netherlands
Khatir M. Kayabil
Darfur People’s Union in UK and Northern Ireland
U.K
Abdelbagi Jibril
Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre, Geneva
Switzerland
Gamal Adam
Darfur Association of Canada
Calgary Branch
Canada
Abdelhadi Abbakar
Darfur Call, Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Niemat Ahmadi
Darfuri Leaders Network
United States
Hafiz Bassy
Darfur Community Association of Australia Inc.
Australia
Darfur Australia Network
Australia
Hafiz Bassy
Mohamadain Ishag
Darfur For culture And Documentation Organization
Belgium
Mansour Ahmed
The Fur Cultural Revival
Portland, Maine, USA
Mr, ISSA THAR
Darfur Uninon
France
Najmaldin Musa Abdul karim
Darfur Internally Displaced Peoples and Refugees Union
De. Nagib Nagmeldin
Amel Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation, Khartoum
Sudan
Mr. Abdelmageed Salih Abker
Peace Youth Association; Khartoum
Sudan
Abdelraheem Haroun
Darfur Democratic Forum, Khartoum
Sudan
Abdelrahman Algasim
Darfur Bar Association, Khartoum
Sudan
Drar Adam
Darfur Call Organization, Khartoum
Sudan
Friday, October 31, 2008
Darfuri civil society and human rights activists: Justice for victims in Darfur
The Hague, The Netherlands
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 31 October 2008
Darfuri civil society and human rights activists: Justice for victims in Darfur
The Hague- Supporting the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on his quest of an arrest warrant for Omar al-Bashir, president of Sudan, on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Darfur civil society submits a letter of gratitude to the Chief Prosecutor of the ICC, outlining their strong and genuine support to the endeavour of the Chief Prosecutor in pursuit for justice for the innocent civilians of Darfur.
Darfur civil society worldwide and human rights activists express their full support for Mr Moreno-Ocampo’s work and stressed the importance of the international community’s pursuit of justice for the victims of crimes against humanity in Darfur.
“Sudanese regime and its allied janjaweed militia continue to commit gross crimes against humanity and intentionally maintain inflicting on the people of Darfur the worse conditions of life to create the physical destruction of the civilian populations. To end the suffering of the people of Darfur, perpetrators must be brought to justice. Organizations such as African Union, Arab League and Organization of Islamic conference should not be rewarding perpetrators of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity by attempting to derail ICC indictment on Darfur crimes ” said Ahmed M. Mohamedain, leader of Darfur Union, a Darfuri civil society group based in The Hague.
Darfuri civil society and human rights activists have long stressed the paramount importance of pursuing justice while continuing to seek a political resolution to the conflict in Darfur.
“We call the international community to extend their strong support to the Chief Prosecutor to exercise his duties and to translate the ‘’NEVER AGAIN’’ slogan into reality” said Mohamed Ibrahim Abdelwahab, Spokesman of Darfur People’s Union in U.K and Northern Ireland.
The activists have called especially on the members of the United Nations Security Council to show strong support for the Prosecutor’s work and to insist on Sudanese compliance with the ICC.
Abdelbagi Jibril, Executive Director of the Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre, noted: “The decision to refer the situation in Darfur to the ICC was done by a means of UN Security Council resolution 1593 (2005) of 31stMarch 2005. As such the ICC action on Darfur is a mechanism for implementation of the provisions of UNSC resolution 1593. We wish to remind all UN member states, whether they are State Parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC or not, to fully support the ICC work on Darfur and meet their obligations to cooperate in implementing mandatory UN Security Council resolutions”
Darfuri activist and Liaison Officer with the Save Darfur Coalition Niemat Ahmadi said: “As Darfuri woman I strongly believe that justice for the genocide victims must be an uncompromised right. I believe the suffering that came as the result of the injustice will not be alleviated without a proper trial and investigation, which will only be found in the ICC. Albashir has been given the last six years to make peace, but instead we have only seen the suffering of our people increase and the situation worsening. This gathering of the Darfuri civil society from all over Europe today is to press for justice to become a reality now in Darfur. The world must take into account that Darfuri concerns should be the priority among any other concerns. We are the victims and we want justice to be allowed to take its course.”
For further information contact:
Darfur Union, The Hague
Ahmed M. Mohamedain: +31 642 330 058
Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre, Geneva
Abdelbagi Jibril: +41 22 747 00 89
Darfur People’s Union in UK and Northern Ireland
Mohamed Ibrahim Abdelwahab, London +44 7717 408 966
Liaison Officer with the Save Darfur Coalition,
Niemat Ahmadi, Washington + 12022239541
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 31 October 2008
Darfuri civil society and human rights activists: Justice for victims in Darfur
The Hague- Supporting the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on his quest of an arrest warrant for Omar al-Bashir, president of Sudan, on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Darfur civil society submits a letter of gratitude to the Chief Prosecutor of the ICC, outlining their strong and genuine support to the endeavour of the Chief Prosecutor in pursuit for justice for the innocent civilians of Darfur.
Darfur civil society worldwide and human rights activists express their full support for Mr Moreno-Ocampo’s work and stressed the importance of the international community’s pursuit of justice for the victims of crimes against humanity in Darfur.
“Sudanese regime and its allied janjaweed militia continue to commit gross crimes against humanity and intentionally maintain inflicting on the people of Darfur the worse conditions of life to create the physical destruction of the civilian populations. To end the suffering of the people of Darfur, perpetrators must be brought to justice. Organizations such as African Union, Arab League and Organization of Islamic conference should not be rewarding perpetrators of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity by attempting to derail ICC indictment on Darfur crimes ” said Ahmed M. Mohamedain, leader of Darfur Union, a Darfuri civil society group based in The Hague.
Darfuri civil society and human rights activists have long stressed the paramount importance of pursuing justice while continuing to seek a political resolution to the conflict in Darfur.
“We call the international community to extend their strong support to the Chief Prosecutor to exercise his duties and to translate the ‘’NEVER AGAIN’’ slogan into reality” said Mohamed Ibrahim Abdelwahab, Spokesman of Darfur People’s Union in U.K and Northern Ireland.
The activists have called especially on the members of the United Nations Security Council to show strong support for the Prosecutor’s work and to insist on Sudanese compliance with the ICC.
Abdelbagi Jibril, Executive Director of the Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre, noted: “The decision to refer the situation in Darfur to the ICC was done by a means of UN Security Council resolution 1593 (2005) of 31stMarch 2005. As such the ICC action on Darfur is a mechanism for implementation of the provisions of UNSC resolution 1593. We wish to remind all UN member states, whether they are State Parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC or not, to fully support the ICC work on Darfur and meet their obligations to cooperate in implementing mandatory UN Security Council resolutions”
Darfuri activist and Liaison Officer with the Save Darfur Coalition Niemat Ahmadi said: “As Darfuri woman I strongly believe that justice for the genocide victims must be an uncompromised right. I believe the suffering that came as the result of the injustice will not be alleviated without a proper trial and investigation, which will only be found in the ICC. Albashir has been given the last six years to make peace, but instead we have only seen the suffering of our people increase and the situation worsening. This gathering of the Darfuri civil society from all over Europe today is to press for justice to become a reality now in Darfur. The world must take into account that Darfuri concerns should be the priority among any other concerns. We are the victims and we want justice to be allowed to take its course.”
For further information contact:
Darfur Union, The Hague
Ahmed M. Mohamedain: +31 642 330 058
Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre, Geneva
Abdelbagi Jibril: +41 22 747 00 89
Darfur People’s Union in UK and Northern Ireland
Mohamed Ibrahim Abdelwahab, London +44 7717 408 966
Liaison Officer with the Save Darfur Coalition,
Niemat Ahmadi, Washington + 12022239541
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Demonstration at the ICC in support of the indictment of the Sudanese president el Bashir
Press statement For immediate release
October 24, 2008
Demonstration at the ICC in support of the indictment
of the Sudanese president el Bashir
Darfur Union in The Netherlands together with Darfur Unions and Associations worldwide will hold demonstration at the International Criminal Court to support the efforts of The Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Mr. Moreno-Ocampo in the indictment of the Sudanese president Omar Hassan el Bashir for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.
Human rights activists and organizations, Sudanese civil society organizations and political parties and the press are cordially invited on this day.
Date: October 31st, 2008
Time: 12:00 till 17:00 CET
Place: The Hague, The office of ICC
Route: Starting point is Malieveld (near by the central train station of The Hague) and the end point is the ICC office.
Information desk
Interim committee Darfur Union in The Netherlands
Elemam Musa +31 617385135
Nazar Fransawi +31 617472631
Jamal Khamis +31 707852593
Darfur Union in The Netherlands
e-mail: darfurunion@yahoo.com
October 24, 2008
Demonstration at the ICC in support of the indictment
of the Sudanese president el Bashir
Darfur Union in The Netherlands together with Darfur Unions and Associations worldwide will hold demonstration at the International Criminal Court to support the efforts of The Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Mr. Moreno-Ocampo in the indictment of the Sudanese president Omar Hassan el Bashir for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.
Human rights activists and organizations, Sudanese civil society organizations and political parties and the press are cordially invited on this day.
Date: October 31st, 2008
Time: 12:00 till 17:00 CET
Place: The Hague, The office of ICC
Route: Starting point is Malieveld (near by the central train station of The Hague) and the end point is the ICC office.
Information desk
Interim committee Darfur Union in The Netherlands
Elemam Musa +31 617385135
Nazar Fransawi +31 617472631
Jamal Khamis +31 707852593
Darfur Union in The Netherlands
e-mail: darfurunion@yahoo.com
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Save Lives in Darfur
Every day, the 2.5 million people chased from their homes in Darfur face the threat of starvation, disease, and rape, while the few lucky enough to remain in their homes risk displacement, torture, and murder. Therefore, we call on you to do the following:
Push for the immediate deployment of the already-authorized U.N. peacekeeping force.
Strengthen the understaffed African Union force already in Darfur until the U.N. force can be deployed.
Increase humanitarian aid and ensure access for delivery.
Establish a no-fly zone. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Push for the immediate deployment of the already-authorized U.N. peacekeeping force.
Strengthen the understaffed African Union force already in Darfur until the U.N. force can be deployed.
Increase humanitarian aid and ensure access for delivery.
Establish a no-fly zone. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Indicted over Darfur, Sudan's President Feints and Punches Back
Ever since the International Criminal Court began pursuing allegations of war crimes in Darfur in 2005, its investigators have pursued a government-backed militia leader known as "the colonel of colonels." Ali Muhammad Ali Abd Al Rahman — a.k.a. Ali Kushayb — was high in the pantheon of the Janjaweed militia when a warrant was finally issued for his arrest in February 2007. Investigators said he led raids that left hundreds dead and countless homes destroyed. According to one witness, Ali Kushayb once inspected a line of naked women just before they were raped by his men. There were critical grumblings that the Sudanese government was coddling him: Ali Kushayb had been detained before but had been released for lack of evidence.
So it was more than a surprise when Khartoum announced last week that it had, in fact, been holding Ali Kushayb for several months and that he would be put on trial. "The timing of this particular claim about an arrest is certainly interesting," says Christopher Hall, head of Amnesty International's International Justice Project. Sudan claims that the investigation into Kushayb gained speed after a special prosecutor was appointed in August. But Hall and many others suspect that Ali Kushayb's trial — if it ever happens — is just the Sudanese government's latest gambit in what has become a full-blown campaign to derail the International Criminal Court's investigation into its own complicity in charges of genocide in Darfur. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>
So it was more than a surprise when Khartoum announced last week that it had, in fact, been holding Ali Kushayb for several months and that he would be put on trial. "The timing of this particular claim about an arrest is certainly interesting," says Christopher Hall, head of Amnesty International's International Justice Project. Sudan claims that the investigation into Kushayb gained speed after a special prosecutor was appointed in August. But Hall and many others suspect that Ali Kushayb's trial — if it ever happens — is just the Sudanese government's latest gambit in what has become a full-blown campaign to derail the International Criminal Court's investigation into its own complicity in charges of genocide in Darfur. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>
“The Darfur Case” ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo’s address to CFR in NY, 10/1708
NEW YORK, USA, October 25, 2008/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Following is a keynote address by Mr. Luis Moreno-Ocampo, prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, on “The Darfur Case,” as given at the Council for Foreign Relations Symposium in New York, 17 October 2008.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to thank the Jolie-Pitt Foundation for promoting this dialogue at the Council on Foreign Relations. Particular thanks go to Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt for the consistent support that they have offered my Office since they visited the Court two years ago. In our first meeting Angelina Jolie told me that after visiting more than 25 refugee camps in different parts of the world she asked herself: Who is doing something to confront the root of the problems these refugees are facing? They are in a desperate situation. They cannot protect their own rights. This is particularly true for the displaced people in Darfur.
I am the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. In 1998 States decided to create a permanent and independent international criminal justice system. They did it based on ideals and self-interest. They knew that in the world of today, no country has enough power or legitimacy. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to thank the Jolie-Pitt Foundation for promoting this dialogue at the Council on Foreign Relations. Particular thanks go to Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt for the consistent support that they have offered my Office since they visited the Court two years ago. In our first meeting Angelina Jolie told me that after visiting more than 25 refugee camps in different parts of the world she asked herself: Who is doing something to confront the root of the problems these refugees are facing? They are in a desperate situation. They cannot protect their own rights. This is particularly true for the displaced people in Darfur.
I am the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. In 1998 States decided to create a permanent and independent international criminal justice system. They did it based on ideals and self-interest. They knew that in the world of today, no country has enough power or legitimacy. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Sudan's plots to derail ICC indictments on Darfur war crimes'
Nairobi, Kenya - The Sudanese government is attempting to undermine the International Criminal Court (ICC) efforts to prosecute senior government officials and rebel leaders suspected of crimes against humanity in Darfur, a rights body said here.
Sudan's recent legal actions against a militia commander and others accused of war crimes in Darfur hold little promise of bringing justice to victims of serious abuses, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement Tuesday.
HRW accused the Sudanese government of trying to undermine investigations by the ICC efforts to arrest and try individuals suspected of sponsoring atrocities in Darfur.
"The Sudanese government is putting up more window-dressing as part of its ongoing effort to block the investigations of the ICC," said Georgette Gagnon, HRW Africa Director. "No one should be fooled by these moves." Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Sudan's recent legal actions against a militia commander and others accused of war crimes in Darfur hold little promise of bringing justice to victims of serious abuses, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement Tuesday.
HRW accused the Sudanese government of trying to undermine investigations by the ICC efforts to arrest and try individuals suspected of sponsoring atrocities in Darfur.
"The Sudanese government is putting up more window-dressing as part of its ongoing effort to block the investigations of the ICC," said Georgette Gagnon, HRW Africa Director. "No one should be fooled by these moves." Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Sunday, October 19, 2008
First justice, then peace in Sudan
An international warrant for Omar al-Bashir, accused of genocide in Darfur, could speed his political demise.
The HagUe - For almost two decades, Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir has waged foul wars on ethnic groups within his country that happened to live on oil- or mineral-rich land. Today, the international community is finally close to holding him accountable. Though it could make for a rocky transition, it is the key to peace.
Even before Darfur, aerial bombing, murder, and rape seemed to be his government's tools for settling scores with the mainly African Christians of southern Sudan. In that 23-year war for resource control, just under 2 million people died as a result of mass violence.
In 2005, the US brokered a peace deal that divided control of the oil fields. But it did not address the crimes committed. And by the time it was signed, Mr. Bashir was back to the same, in Darfur.
This summer, however, things changed. The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, requested an arrest warrant against Bashir on suspicion of genocide. A flood of worst-case predictions followed. A fear that the situation will worsen has increased. And so have worries about chances for any meaningful peace process.
The pressure is now mounting on the United Nations Security Council to defer the ICC proceedings – as soon as this month – before the court judges decide the fate of the warrant request. This political emergency brake was meant to be used only when the interests of justice and peace collide.
Bashir is clearly doing his best to convince the world that the call for his arrest will indeed collide with peace in Darfur. He recently sent a diplomatic mission to Security Council member states, promising renewed peace and possible deals. Back home, his troops attacked Darfur's largest refugee camp, killing dozens. Read more >>>>>>>
The HagUe - For almost two decades, Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir has waged foul wars on ethnic groups within his country that happened to live on oil- or mineral-rich land. Today, the international community is finally close to holding him accountable. Though it could make for a rocky transition, it is the key to peace.
Even before Darfur, aerial bombing, murder, and rape seemed to be his government's tools for settling scores with the mainly African Christians of southern Sudan. In that 23-year war for resource control, just under 2 million people died as a result of mass violence.
In 2005, the US brokered a peace deal that divided control of the oil fields. But it did not address the crimes committed. And by the time it was signed, Mr. Bashir was back to the same, in Darfur.
This summer, however, things changed. The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, requested an arrest warrant against Bashir on suspicion of genocide. A flood of worst-case predictions followed. A fear that the situation will worsen has increased. And so have worries about chances for any meaningful peace process.
The pressure is now mounting on the United Nations Security Council to defer the ICC proceedings – as soon as this month – before the court judges decide the fate of the warrant request. This political emergency brake was meant to be used only when the interests of justice and peace collide.
Bashir is clearly doing his best to convince the world that the call for his arrest will indeed collide with peace in Darfur. He recently sent a diplomatic mission to Security Council member states, promising renewed peace and possible deals. Back home, his troops attacked Darfur's largest refugee camp, killing dozens. Read more >>>>>>>
End terror in Darfur
''Never again.'' These are the words spoken after the Nazi regime in Europe ended. We swore that we would never let our guard down again. We would not let innocent people suffer. Unfortunately, we have failed.
A horrible genocide is occurring in Darfur, in Sudan. Parents are losing their children, children are losing their parents and, worse, not enough is being done to stop this massacre. Since 2003, more than 300,000 people have been viciously murdered, and more than two million more have been displaced.
In 2001, more than 3,000 Americans died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Our country was almost paralyzed. The American spirit was temporarily destroyed, and there was fear in citizens' hearts. All of this for 3,000 lives. But 300,000 lives have been taken so far in Sudan, and not enough has been done.
In Darfur, a military-based group called the janjaweed, consisting mainly of Arab tribes, is persecuting black Africans. If this massacre were happening in the United States, life as we know it would be put on hold, and the tragedy would be put to an end. Unfortunately, it is occurring in an area with little media and political attention. It is not getting the attention and concern that it deserves.
Foreigners typically have a negative perception of our country. For instance, they think that we don't belong in Iraq. However, a nation as powerful as ours belongs in Darfur. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
A horrible genocide is occurring in Darfur, in Sudan. Parents are losing their children, children are losing their parents and, worse, not enough is being done to stop this massacre. Since 2003, more than 300,000 people have been viciously murdered, and more than two million more have been displaced.
In 2001, more than 3,000 Americans died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Our country was almost paralyzed. The American spirit was temporarily destroyed, and there was fear in citizens' hearts. All of this for 3,000 lives. But 300,000 lives have been taken so far in Sudan, and not enough has been done.
In Darfur, a military-based group called the janjaweed, consisting mainly of Arab tribes, is persecuting black Africans. If this massacre were happening in the United States, life as we know it would be put on hold, and the tragedy would be put to an end. Unfortunately, it is occurring in an area with little media and political attention. It is not getting the attention and concern that it deserves.
Foreigners typically have a negative perception of our country. For instance, they think that we don't belong in Iraq. However, a nation as powerful as ours belongs in Darfur. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Saturday, October 18, 2008
North Darfur fighting displaces 24,000: UN
EL FASHER, Sudan (AFP) — A surge of fighting in Sudan's isolated north Darfur region has displaced 24,000 people, who face shortages of food and water, a senior UN official said on Friday, urging a rapid humanitarian response.
"The numbers being thrown out now are somewhere in the neighbourhood of about 24,000 people that have not gone back to Birmaza or Disa," said Gregory Alex, the head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.
A first wave of people abandoned their homes five or six weeks ago when the fighting began and a second group towards the end of September.
But Alex said humanitarian access to the area has been extremely limited, owing to insecurity and banditry.
"I would guess that their access to basic necessities are extremely limited. Water, I think, has been identified as the most important need, but then you have shelter. The colder season is approaching... these places don't have firewood," he said.
"The problem with the food is that they're distant from any place that they could actually have a distribution... that puts them in, I'd say, a fairly difficult situation." Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"The numbers being thrown out now are somewhere in the neighbourhood of about 24,000 people that have not gone back to Birmaza or Disa," said Gregory Alex, the head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.
A first wave of people abandoned their homes five or six weeks ago when the fighting began and a second group towards the end of September.
But Alex said humanitarian access to the area has been extremely limited, owing to insecurity and banditry.
"I would guess that their access to basic necessities are extremely limited. Water, I think, has been identified as the most important need, but then you have shelter. The colder season is approaching... these places don't have firewood," he said.
"The problem with the food is that they're distant from any place that they could actually have a distribution... that puts them in, I'd say, a fairly difficult situation." Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Statement , Darfur Union, The Netherlands
Statement
The Hague, Netherlands
October 05th, 2008
In a democratic and transparent environment, a reasonable number of Darfuris in The Netherlands appointed a preparatory committee with limited capacity to address the concerns of Darfuris in the coming three months till the day of their general assembly on which Darfur Union in The Netherlands will be established.
Members of the preparatory committee:
Name Tel E-mail
1) Ahmed M. Mohamedain +31 642330058 mohamedain02@gmail.com
2) Mahammed Muhagir +31 647185328 mamuhagir@yahoo.com
3) Jamal Abdalla Khamis +31 000000000 jeemi_1974@yahoo.com
4) Hawa Juma Ahmed +31 000000000 eshak100@yahoo.com
5) Elemam Musa Elemam +31 617385135 e.musaelemam@hotmail.com
6) Nazar I. Fransawi +31 617472631 nicoblack001@yahoo.com
7) Imad Ahmed Addin +31 000000000 imados77@hotmail.com
Preparatory Committee for Darfuris in The Netherlands
Secretary of Information
darfurunion@yahoo.com
The Hague, Netherlands
October 05th, 2008
In a democratic and transparent environment, a reasonable number of Darfuris in The Netherlands appointed a preparatory committee with limited capacity to address the concerns of Darfuris in the coming three months till the day of their general assembly on which Darfur Union in The Netherlands will be established.
Members of the preparatory committee:
Name Tel E-mail
1) Ahmed M. Mohamedain +31 642330058 mohamedain02@gmail.com
2) Mahammed Muhagir +31 647185328 mamuhagir@yahoo.com
3) Jamal Abdalla Khamis +31 000000000 jeemi_1974@yahoo.com
4) Hawa Juma Ahmed +31 000000000 eshak100@yahoo.com
5) Elemam Musa Elemam +31 617385135 e.musaelemam@hotmail.com
6) Nazar I. Fransawi +31 617472631 nicoblack001@yahoo.com
7) Imad Ahmed Addin +31 000000000 imados77@hotmail.com
Preparatory Committee for Darfuris in The Netherlands
Secretary of Information
darfurunion@yahoo.com
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Pre-Trial Chamber I requests additional materials in relation to the request for a warrant of arrest for Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al Bashir
On 15 October 2008, Pre-Trial Chamber I issued a decision requesting the Prosecution to submit, no later than 16.00 hours on 17 November 2008, additional supporting materials in relation to some confidential aspects of the Prosecution's request for a warrant of arrest for the Sudanese President, Omar Hassan Al Bashir.
On 14 July 2008, the Prosecutor made a request to Pre Trial Chamber I for the issuance of a warrant of arrest for the Sudanese President, Omar Hassan Al Bashir, for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide allegedly committed by him through members of the state apparatus, the army and the Militia/Janjaweed in the context of an armed conflict against organised rebel groups.
The situation in Darfur, Sudan, was referred to the International Criminal Court by the United Nations Security Council under resolution 1593 of 31 March 2005. The Prosecutor opened an investigation into the situation on 6 June 2005. For more see
http://www.icc-cpi.int/press/pressreleases/430.html
On 14 July 2008, the Prosecutor made a request to Pre Trial Chamber I for the issuance of a warrant of arrest for the Sudanese President, Omar Hassan Al Bashir, for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide allegedly committed by him through members of the state apparatus, the army and the Militia/Janjaweed in the context of an armed conflict against organised rebel groups.
The situation in Darfur, Sudan, was referred to the International Criminal Court by the United Nations Security Council under resolution 1593 of 31 March 2005. The Prosecutor opened an investigation into the situation on 6 June 2005. For more see
http://www.icc-cpi.int/press/pressreleases/430.html
Sunday, October 12, 2008
How Did The Perpetrators Of The Darfur Genocide End Up Running A U.N. Anti-Poverty Program?
Eight years ago, nearly all United Nations member states and many international organizations committed to a series of ambitious steps designed to respond immediately to critical needs within the developing world, and particularly in Africa. Known as the "Millennium Development Goals" (MDG), these included the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, reduction in child mortality, and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other major diseases. 2015 was set as the deadline for meeting specific targets in all of these areas. But the reconvening of the U.N. General Assembly last month proved yet another occasion for lamenting our distance from meeting the MDG's objectives.
There are many reasons for these delays, and they lie on both sides of the "developmental divide." Richer nations, especially in the developed West, have provided neither sufficient financial resources nor the essential tools for developing nations to confront the daunting challenges they face. And poor governance, corruption, and financial mismanagement have plagued many of the nations most desperately in need. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>
There are many reasons for these delays, and they lie on both sides of the "developmental divide." Richer nations, especially in the developed West, have provided neither sufficient financial resources nor the essential tools for developing nations to confront the daunting challenges they face. And poor governance, corruption, and financial mismanagement have plagued many of the nations most desperately in need. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
French Foreign Min Presses Sudan To Cooperate On Darfur
PARIS (AFP)--France told a senior Sudanese envoy Tuesday that Khartoum must cooperate with the international community to end violence in Darfur and bring to justice two suspects wanted for war crimes.
"In all of these areas, France expects actions," Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told Nafie Ali Nafie, an adviser to Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.
Kouchner met with Nafie after France raised the possibility of suspending a bid by international prosecutors to seek an arrest warrant against Bashir for genocide.
If charges are brought, it would be the first time the International Criminal Court has indicted a sitting head of state since it started operating in 2002.
But Paris has said Sudan must cooperate with the Hague-based ICC seeking to prosecute two Sudanese officials wanted by the court for the massacre of civilians in Darfur province.
Khartoum must also take steps to end the violence in Darfur, allow access for humanitarian aid workers, normalize relations with Chad and facilitate the deployment of a joint force by the U.N. and the African Union, said Kouchner. Read more >>>>>>>>
"In all of these areas, France expects actions," Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told Nafie Ali Nafie, an adviser to Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.
Kouchner met with Nafie after France raised the possibility of suspending a bid by international prosecutors to seek an arrest warrant against Bashir for genocide.
If charges are brought, it would be the first time the International Criminal Court has indicted a sitting head of state since it started operating in 2002.
But Paris has said Sudan must cooperate with the Hague-based ICC seeking to prosecute two Sudanese officials wanted by the court for the massacre of civilians in Darfur province.
Khartoum must also take steps to end the violence in Darfur, allow access for humanitarian aid workers, normalize relations with Chad and facilitate the deployment of a joint force by the U.N. and the African Union, said Kouchner. Read more >>>>>>>>
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
ICC push for Sudan leader arrest warrant
THE HAGUE (AFP) — Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court sought to persuade a panel of judges Wednesday to grant their request for a genocide arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir.
A closed hearing was held at the court's seat in The Hague in the morning for the prosecution to present evidence to back up the request for a warrant.
In a public document, the court said it had convened the hearing because "it (is) necessary to receive additional information from the prosecution in relation to the prosecution's application."
In July, chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo asked the court for an arrest warrant for Beshir on ten counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Read More >>>>>>>>>>>
A closed hearing was held at the court's seat in The Hague in the morning for the prosecution to present evidence to back up the request for a warrant.
In a public document, the court said it had convened the hearing because "it (is) necessary to receive additional information from the prosecution in relation to the prosecution's application."
In July, chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo asked the court for an arrest warrant for Beshir on ten counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Read More >>>>>>>>>>>
When the bombing stopped, we fled Darfur
A move by the Sudanese government to bomb a region in Darfur thought to be a rebel stronghold has resulted in the deaths and mass displacement of thousands of civilians on the ground. When a shell hit her house in July this year Zenaba pulled her children out of the burning rubble and carried them to the Chad border, where they are still struggling to rebuild their lives
I was in the house with all my children when the bomb hit, injuring me and three of my six children. It was a Friday. The plane came over in the afternoon. First we heard the sound of the plane arriving and then – it was so fast – the bombs. My brother-in-law says that six bombs were dropped. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>
I was in the house with all my children when the bomb hit, injuring me and three of my six children. It was a Friday. The plane came over in the afternoon. First we heard the sound of the plane arriving and then – it was so fast – the bombs. My brother-in-law says that six bombs were dropped. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Kufuor Must not Allow Omar al-Bashir on Ghanaian Soil!
A September 23, 2008, news item published on Francis Akoto’s GhanaHomePage, titled “Sudan’s President to visit Ghana,” the former the most influential and oft-accessed pro-Ghanaian Internet portal, at once rankled me and reignited my astoundingly waning passion to write again for my fellow Ghanaians. For those who know very little about Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Sudan’s despotic leader, this man has superintended ― overtly and covertly ― some of the worst cases of carnage, dismemberment, gross sexual abuse and annihilation of large numbers of his country’s black population, especially in the Darfur province, by the ostensibly “superior” Arab members of Sudanese society, which is the very reason why al-Bashir’s planned visit to Ghana has both generated outrage among the peaceable people of our dear nation and received unequivocal denunciation.
For world leaders to altogether embrace the trajectory of ambivalence while our Sudanese brothers and sisters are massacred on a daily basis ― the only “sins” of these “ostracized” members of Sudanese society are their Negroid features and a lack of access to political power ― remains an even greater mystery than the carnage itself. Of course, some will argue that the vastly undermanned joint UN-AU Peacekeeping Force in place in Darfur has performed amply well in the last few years to repulse advancing Sudanese Army personnel and members of the notorious Janjaweed militia ― the latter two have been receiving direct orders from Omar al-Bashir himself to perpetrate dastardly acts against the unarmed black Sudanese population ― but could not the world have done more? Read more >>>>>>>>>
For world leaders to altogether embrace the trajectory of ambivalence while our Sudanese brothers and sisters are massacred on a daily basis ― the only “sins” of these “ostracized” members of Sudanese society are their Negroid features and a lack of access to political power ― remains an even greater mystery than the carnage itself. Of course, some will argue that the vastly undermanned joint UN-AU Peacekeeping Force in place in Darfur has performed amply well in the last few years to repulse advancing Sudanese Army personnel and members of the notorious Janjaweed militia ― the latter two have been receiving direct orders from Omar al-Bashir himself to perpetrate dastardly acts against the unarmed black Sudanese population ― but could not the world have done more? Read more >>>>>>>>>
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
No Further Delays! Justice for Darfur
The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has requested an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur. Some states have called for the United Nations Security Council to suspend the ICC’s investigation. The Security Council is expected to revisit this issue shortly. Call on the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. to remain firm in opposing political interference in the ICC’s investigation.
Take Action
Take Action
Thursday, September 18, 2008
No More Delays: Peacekeepers and Justice for Darfur NOW
Close the gap between promises and reality: Call on United Nations Member States to honor their commitment to protect the people of Darfur. For over a year, United Nations Member States have promised peacekeepers, equipment, and funding for aid for Darfur. Promise broken. For over three years, the United Nations Security Council has promised justice for Darfur. Promise broken. The United Nations has failed to live up to its promises. The people of Darfur have already waited too long for peacekeepers and justice. Join us at the United Nations as we demand No More Delays: Peacekeepers and Justice for Darfur NOW.
WHAT: Demonstration on Darfur: “No More Delays: Peacekeepers and Justice for Darfur NOW.”
WHEN: Thursday, September 25, 2008, from 5:00-6:30pm
WHERE: Dag Hammarskjold Plaza (across from the UN), 1st Avenue and 47th Street
WHO: Larry Cox, Executive Director, Amnesty International USA
Alex Meixner, Director of Government Relations, Save Darfur Coalition
Bushara Dosa, President, Darfur People’s Association of New York
Roxanne Earley, New York State Outreach Coordinator, STAND
Other Darfuri human rights activists (TBA)
Amnesty will be providing placards – “No More Delays: Peacekeepers and Justice for Darfur NOW” – and FREE t-shirts and Instant Karma CDs to the first 200 people! Demo participants will also be able to visit Displaced, an interactive exhibition on Darfur, which will be staged next to the demo site.
Want more info? Want to help out? Planning on attending?
Contact Sara Bennett, sbennett@aiusa.org, 212-633-4160.
Event co-sponsored by Amnesty International USA, the Save Darfur Coalition, STAND, ENOUGH, Genocide Intervention Network, Africa Action, Human Rights First, Darfur People’s Association of New York, Darfur Alert Coalition, Darfur Rehabilitation Project, Darfur Peace and Development, United Nations Association of the USA, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, Darfur Human Rights Organization, and New York City Coalition for Darfur.
www.amnestyusa.org/darfurdemo
WHAT: Demonstration on Darfur: “No More Delays: Peacekeepers and Justice for Darfur NOW.”
WHEN: Thursday, September 25, 2008, from 5:00-6:30pm
WHERE: Dag Hammarskjold Plaza (across from the UN), 1st Avenue and 47th Street
WHO: Larry Cox, Executive Director, Amnesty International USA
Alex Meixner, Director of Government Relations, Save Darfur Coalition
Bushara Dosa, President, Darfur People’s Association of New York
Roxanne Earley, New York State Outreach Coordinator, STAND
Other Darfuri human rights activists (TBA)
Amnesty will be providing placards – “No More Delays: Peacekeepers and Justice for Darfur NOW” – and FREE t-shirts and Instant Karma CDs to the first 200 people! Demo participants will also be able to visit Displaced, an interactive exhibition on Darfur, which will be staged next to the demo site.
Want more info? Want to help out? Planning on attending?
Contact Sara Bennett, sbennett@aiusa.org, 212-633-4160.
Event co-sponsored by Amnesty International USA, the Save Darfur Coalition, STAND, ENOUGH, Genocide Intervention Network, Africa Action, Human Rights First, Darfur People’s Association of New York, Darfur Alert Coalition, Darfur Rehabilitation Project, Darfur Peace and Development, United Nations Association of the USA, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, Darfur Human Rights Organization, and New York City Coalition for Darfur.
www.amnestyusa.org/darfurdemo
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
France supports ICC actions against Sudanese officials
PARIS, Sept 17 (KUNA) -- France said on Wednesday that it fully supports indictments issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against two Sudanese officials alleged to have committed war crimes in Darfur.
Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman Frederic Desagneaux said "France is attached to the fact that the procedures undertaken before the International Criminal Court should follow their course." While not reacting directly to reports that Algeria was seeking to block the ICC action by an action in the UN Security Council, Desagneaux did stress that Sudan must cooperate with the jurisdiction in The Hague, Holland, where war crimes and crimes against humanity cases are heard.
"Concerning Sudan, we call on the Sudanese authorities to commit, without delay, to the necessary cooperation with the ICC and the international community, starting with the application of arrest warrants already handed down by the Court for Ahmed Haroon and Ali Kushayb, two known Sudanese officials.
"In Darfur, the situation continued to get worse on the ground and violence is continuing, including against displaced people," Desagneaux remarked.
"We reiterate our call to the Sudanese government to halt these attacks without delay. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>
Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman Frederic Desagneaux said "France is attached to the fact that the procedures undertaken before the International Criminal Court should follow their course." While not reacting directly to reports that Algeria was seeking to block the ICC action by an action in the UN Security Council, Desagneaux did stress that Sudan must cooperate with the jurisdiction in The Hague, Holland, where war crimes and crimes against humanity cases are heard.
"Concerning Sudan, we call on the Sudanese authorities to commit, without delay, to the necessary cooperation with the ICC and the international community, starting with the application of arrest warrants already handed down by the Court for Ahmed Haroon and Ali Kushayb, two known Sudanese officials.
"In Darfur, the situation continued to get worse on the ground and violence is continuing, including against displaced people," Desagneaux remarked.
"We reiterate our call to the Sudanese government to halt these attacks without delay. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Holocaust scholars urge arrest of Sudan leader
Leading scholars of the Holocaust from around the world signed a petition September 15 to Luis Moreno-Ocampo of the International Criminal Court urging him to proceed with his prosecution of Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir for his role in the genocide of the people of the Darfur region of Sudan. While ICC chief prosecutor Moreno Ocampo has announced plans to seek al-Bashir’s arrest, the voices of the Arab League, African Union, as well as China and Russia have been raised against it.
Prosecuting al-Bashir will help stop the Darfur genocide and will send a powerful warning to future would-be killers,” said Dr. Rafael Medoff, director of the Washington-based David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies, which organized the petition. “The governments that are trying to protect al-Bashir should be ashamed of themselves.” The Wyman Institute is based in Washington DC and focused the US response to the Holocaust. Among the members of its advisory committee is Nobel Peace Prize-winner Elie Wiesel, and members of the US Congress. The petition also compares the efforts by al-Bashir’s allies to the position of the US State Department in the 1940s, which advocated prosecuting only a limited number of Nazi war criminals. Dr. Medoff wrote “Blowing the Whistle on Genocide: Josiah E. DuBois, Jr. and the Struggle for a U.S. Response to the Holocaust,” which was published this week by Purdue University Press. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Prosecuting al-Bashir will help stop the Darfur genocide and will send a powerful warning to future would-be killers,” said Dr. Rafael Medoff, director of the Washington-based David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies, which organized the petition. “The governments that are trying to protect al-Bashir should be ashamed of themselves.” The Wyman Institute is based in Washington DC and focused the US response to the Holocaust. Among the members of its advisory committee is Nobel Peace Prize-winner Elie Wiesel, and members of the US Congress. The petition also compares the efforts by al-Bashir’s allies to the position of the US State Department in the 1940s, which advocated prosecuting only a limited number of Nazi war criminals. Dr. Medoff wrote “Blowing the Whistle on Genocide: Josiah E. DuBois, Jr. and the Struggle for a U.S. Response to the Holocaust,” which was published this week by Purdue University Press. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Friday, September 12, 2008
Court probing deadly Darfur camp attack
By MIKE CORDER
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court may add a deadly attack by Sudanese troops on a Darfur refugee camp last month to a list of war crimes allegations against President Omar al-Bashir.
In an interview Friday, chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo told The Associated Press he was checking into reports of the Aug. 25 attack by Sudanese troops on Kalma camp in southern Darfur.
A camp resident told The AP after the attack that he counted 32 bodies, including women and children.
At the time, Sudanese officials said the soldiers were caught in a fire fight while looking for weapons in the camp. They put the death toll at 12, including five troops.
"The Kalma camp attack had to be highlighted because it's a case in which allegations are that al-Bashir forces killed civilians directly in the camp," Moreno-Ocampo said.
In July, Moreno-Ocampo asked judges to issue an arrest warrant for al-Bashir on genocide charges for allegedly leading a five-year campaign of murder and rape against civilians in Darfur. Judges are expected to take several months before responding.
In evidence supporting the genocide case against al-Bashir, "we submit that attacking civilians in camps is normally through rapes outside the camps — through more indirect ways," Moreno-Ocampo said. "This is a very direct attack against civilians. ... We try to check if this is a new policy or just an isolated event without authorization." Read more >>>>>>
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court may add a deadly attack by Sudanese troops on a Darfur refugee camp last month to a list of war crimes allegations against President Omar al-Bashir.
In an interview Friday, chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo told The Associated Press he was checking into reports of the Aug. 25 attack by Sudanese troops on Kalma camp in southern Darfur.
A camp resident told The AP after the attack that he counted 32 bodies, including women and children.
At the time, Sudanese officials said the soldiers were caught in a fire fight while looking for weapons in the camp. They put the death toll at 12, including five troops.
"The Kalma camp attack had to be highlighted because it's a case in which allegations are that al-Bashir forces killed civilians directly in the camp," Moreno-Ocampo said.
In July, Moreno-Ocampo asked judges to issue an arrest warrant for al-Bashir on genocide charges for allegedly leading a five-year campaign of murder and rape against civilians in Darfur. Judges are expected to take several months before responding.
In evidence supporting the genocide case against al-Bashir, "we submit that attacking civilians in camps is normally through rapes outside the camps — through more indirect ways," Moreno-Ocampo said. "This is a very direct attack against civilians. ... We try to check if this is a new policy or just an isolated event without authorization." Read more >>>>>>
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Government militias kill 6 in Darfur village raid
(Adds reports of raid on Darfur's Zamzam camp)
By Andrew Heavens
KHARTOUM, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Sudanese pro-government militia fighters on horseback have killed six people and abducted five in a raid on a village in the Darfur region, rebel leaders said on Wednesday.
But a spokesman from Sudan's armed forces dismissed the accusations of an attack on the village of Bere on Tuesday as "definitely incorrect", saying there was no military or militia activity in north Darfur.
The accusations come at a sensitive time, when Sudan's government is trying to block efforts by the International Criminal Court's prosecutor to put President Hassan al-Bashir on trial for war crimes and genocide in Darfur.
Rebels say attacks by government forces have been increasing and accuse Khartoum of trying to seize potential oil production sites and key transport routes. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>
By Andrew Heavens
KHARTOUM, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Sudanese pro-government militia fighters on horseback have killed six people and abducted five in a raid on a village in the Darfur region, rebel leaders said on Wednesday.
But a spokesman from Sudan's armed forces dismissed the accusations of an attack on the village of Bere on Tuesday as "definitely incorrect", saying there was no military or militia activity in north Darfur.
The accusations come at a sensitive time, when Sudan's government is trying to block efforts by the International Criminal Court's prosecutor to put President Hassan al-Bashir on trial for war crimes and genocide in Darfur.
Rebels say attacks by government forces have been increasing and accuse Khartoum of trying to seize potential oil production sites and key transport routes. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Mariam Amu singer
Despite the unprecedented atrocities committed by the Sudanese regime in Darfur, still there is a space for sweet expressions of love, harmoney and nostalgia. Tune in:
Sudan continuing attacks on Darfur-UN rights envoy
By Stephanie Nebehay
GENEVA, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Sudan's government continues to launch deadly land and air attacks in Darfur, where peacekeepers lack the resources to protect civilians, a United Nations human rights investigator said on Tuesday.
Sima Samar, U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Sudan, said all sides in the conflict were committing abuses, including looting and rapes, without being held responsible.
"In the period under review, there have been widespread allegations of arbitrary arrests and detention, torture, incommunicado detention and serious violations of the right to fair trial," Samar said in her latest annual report covering two visits to Sudan this year.
All perpetrators should be prosecuted in fair trials, she said in the report to the U.N. Human Rights Council that flagged violations in Darfur and the oil-rich Abyei region.
"There are several reports of air attacks by government forces, leading to extensive civilian casualties," the report said, citing bombings in west Darfur and in north Darfur in the first half of this year. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
GENEVA, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Sudan's government continues to launch deadly land and air attacks in Darfur, where peacekeepers lack the resources to protect civilians, a United Nations human rights investigator said on Tuesday.
Sima Samar, U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Sudan, said all sides in the conflict were committing abuses, including looting and rapes, without being held responsible.
"In the period under review, there have been widespread allegations of arbitrary arrests and detention, torture, incommunicado detention and serious violations of the right to fair trial," Samar said in her latest annual report covering two visits to Sudan this year.
All perpetrators should be prosecuted in fair trials, she said in the report to the U.N. Human Rights Council that flagged violations in Darfur and the oil-rich Abyei region.
"There are several reports of air attacks by government forces, leading to extensive civilian casualties," the report said, citing bombings in west Darfur and in north Darfur in the first half of this year. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Sudanese goverment attacks rebel bases
Sudanese goverment attacks rebel bases
Sudanese forces launched ground and air attacks on at least three rebel positions in North Darfur today, killing an unknown number of people, insurgent groups said.
Leaders from three rebel groups said government troops, backed by helicopters, Antonov planes and militias riding horses and camels, attacked their bases in Disa and Birmaza, close to a key transport route.
Two insurgent forces said there had also been a third assault on settlements south of the town of Tawila, in an area held by a range of rebels and known for bandit attacks.
Sudanese armed forces officials were not available for comment.
The reports of the attacks came at a highly sensitive time in Darfur after the International Criminal Court moved to indict Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for genocide in the remote western region.
Rebel groups have accused the government of launching a string of raids in North Darfur over the last two months, even as Khartoum stepped up diplomatic efforts to get the global court's move postponed or quashed. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>
Sudanese forces launched ground and air attacks on at least three rebel positions in North Darfur today, killing an unknown number of people, insurgent groups said.
Leaders from three rebel groups said government troops, backed by helicopters, Antonov planes and militias riding horses and camels, attacked their bases in Disa and Birmaza, close to a key transport route.
Two insurgent forces said there had also been a third assault on settlements south of the town of Tawila, in an area held by a range of rebels and known for bandit attacks.
Sudanese armed forces officials were not available for comment.
The reports of the attacks came at a highly sensitive time in Darfur after the International Criminal Court moved to indict Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for genocide in the remote western region.
Rebel groups have accused the government of launching a string of raids in North Darfur over the last two months, even as Khartoum stepped up diplomatic efforts to get the global court's move postponed or quashed. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>
Friday, September 05, 2008
Don't Let Bashir Escape Justice
Don't Let Bashir Escape Justice
Any day now, the Security Council may seek to invoke Article 16, a provision that can suspend the International Criminal Court's proceedings against al-Bashir.
We can't let al-Bashir escape accountability, and we don't have a moment to lose. Last week's attack on the Kalma refugee camp by the Sudanese government is a reminder of what is at stake.
Send a message to President Bush, and tell him the US must oppose and veto any attempt to suspend the case against al-Bashir.
http://action.savedarfur.org/campaign/article16/i8u36ib4175bx76d
Any day now, the Security Council may seek to invoke Article 16, a provision that can suspend the International Criminal Court's proceedings against al-Bashir.
We can't let al-Bashir escape accountability, and we don't have a moment to lose. Last week's attack on the Kalma refugee camp by the Sudanese government is a reminder of what is at stake.
Send a message to President Bush, and tell him the US must oppose and veto any attempt to suspend the case against al-Bashir.
http://action.savedarfur.org/campaign/article16/i8u36ib4175bx76d
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
UN: Sudan forces build up outside Darfur camp
30 people in a raid on a Darfur camp have started to build up their position outside the settlement, raising fears of a new attack, peacekeepers said on Wednesday.
The joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force, known as Unamid, said a patrol had seen Sudanese police erecting tents at a new base close to the Kalma camp for displaced people in south Darfur.
Unamid, said it would now deploy its own soldiers and police to Kalma "on a permanent basis" after a tribal leader in the camp said residents were starting to panic about the possibility of a new assault. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>
The joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force, known as Unamid, said a patrol had seen Sudanese police erecting tents at a new base close to the Kalma camp for displaced people in south Darfur.
Unamid, said it would now deploy its own soldiers and police to Kalma "on a permanent basis" after a tribal leader in the camp said residents were starting to panic about the possibility of a new assault. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Tortured, but Not Silenced
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
An early test of the next president’s moral courage will come as he decides how to engage two Sudanese people named Bashir.
One is President Omar al-Bashir, who faces indictment for genocide by the International Criminal Court. The other is Dr. Halima Bashir, a young Darfuri woman whom the Sudanese authorities have tried to silence by beatings and gang-rape.
In 10 days, Halima’s extraordinary memoir will be published in the United States, at considerable risk to herself. She writes in “Tears of the Desert” of growing up in a placid village in rural Darfur, of her wonder at seeing white people for the first time, of her brilliant performance in school.Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
An early test of the next president’s moral courage will come as he decides how to engage two Sudanese people named Bashir.
One is President Omar al-Bashir, who faces indictment for genocide by the International Criminal Court. The other is Dr. Halima Bashir, a young Darfuri woman whom the Sudanese authorities have tried to silence by beatings and gang-rape.
In 10 days, Halima’s extraordinary memoir will be published in the United States, at considerable risk to herself. She writes in “Tears of the Desert” of growing up in a placid village in rural Darfur, of her wonder at seeing white people for the first time, of her brilliant performance in school.Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Saturday, August 30, 2008
UN rights official condemns 'disproportionate' Darfur camp raid
GENEVA (AFP) — The office of the top UN human rights official Friday condemned Sudan's "disproportionate and excessive" attack on a displaced persons camp in Darfur that killed more than 30 people, including seven children.
Thirty-one people were killed in Monday's attack, all bar one by gunshot wounds, in the Kalma camp near Nyala in southern Darfur, said Yvon Edoumou, spokesman for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
One woman died after falling into a ditch whilst trying to flee the shooting, he said.
In total seven children, 11 women and 13 men were killed in the attack which also left 54 people wounded, he added.
"The matter is still under investigation," Edoumou said.
Sudanese authorities describe the Kalma camp, home to around 80,000 people including representatives of some rebel groups, as a den of outlaws and armed robbers hoarding weapons, ammunition, explosives, narcotics and stolen goods.
Tensions in Darfur have heightened since the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court last month formally asked judges to issue an arrest warrant for President Omar al-Beshir on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>
Thirty-one people were killed in Monday's attack, all bar one by gunshot wounds, in the Kalma camp near Nyala in southern Darfur, said Yvon Edoumou, spokesman for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
One woman died after falling into a ditch whilst trying to flee the shooting, he said.
In total seven children, 11 women and 13 men were killed in the attack which also left 54 people wounded, he added.
"The matter is still under investigation," Edoumou said.
Sudanese authorities describe the Kalma camp, home to around 80,000 people including representatives of some rebel groups, as a den of outlaws and armed robbers hoarding weapons, ammunition, explosives, narcotics and stolen goods.
Tensions in Darfur have heightened since the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court last month formally asked judges to issue an arrest warrant for President Omar al-Beshir on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>
Peace in Sudan as important as justice - UN's Ban
By Louis Charbonneau
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 28 (Reuters) - It is important that victims of any war crimes in Darfur get justice but peace is equally crucial for the remote part of western Sudan, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday.
Last month, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Luis Moreno-Ocampo, asked the court's judges to issue an arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for war crimes committed in Darfur.
Moreno-Ocampo accused the Sudanese leader of orchestrating a campaign of genocide beginning in 2003 that had killed 35,000 people outright and at least another 100,000 through starvation and disease, with another 2.5 million forced from their homes.
In a bleak new report on the joint U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur, known as UNAMID, Ban said it was important to seek justice for any crimes committed in Sudan but made it clear that justice was not the only top priority.
"The international community also has the responsibility to seek agreement on the equal importance of peace and justice in trying to meet the needs of the people in Darfur," Ban said in the report. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 28 (Reuters) - It is important that victims of any war crimes in Darfur get justice but peace is equally crucial for the remote part of western Sudan, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday.
Last month, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Luis Moreno-Ocampo, asked the court's judges to issue an arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for war crimes committed in Darfur.
Moreno-Ocampo accused the Sudanese leader of orchestrating a campaign of genocide beginning in 2003 that had killed 35,000 people outright and at least another 100,000 through starvation and disease, with another 2.5 million forced from their homes.
In a bleak new report on the joint U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur, known as UNAMID, Ban said it was important to seek justice for any crimes committed in Sudan but made it clear that justice was not the only top priority.
"The international community also has the responsibility to seek agreement on the equal importance of peace and justice in trying to meet the needs of the people in Darfur," Ban said in the report. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Sudanese government raided Kalma refugee camp
By Andrew Heavens
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - International peacekeepers criticised Sudan on Tuesday for using "excessive, disproportionate" force in a raid on a camp for displaced persons in Darfur that left more than 30 dead.
The unusually harsh statement from the joint U.N./African Union UNAMID peacekeepers accused Khartoum of breaking a Darfur peace agreement by using guns against displaced people armed mostly with "sticks, knives, and spears".
Armed Sudanese police and soldiers raided South Darfur's Kalma camp in the early hours of Monday morning, claiming they were searching for weapons and suspected rebels and bandits.
Sudan state media published a statement from South Darfur state's Security Committee saying armed camp residents had started the shooting, and that police had been forced to fire back. The statement insisted only five police and seven residents had been injured in the clashes.
But Darfur rebel leaders and Kalma residents told Reuters the Sudanese forces opened fire on people in the camp, then continued to build up their forces around the settlement on Tuesday. Read more >>>>>>>>>>
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - International peacekeepers criticised Sudan on Tuesday for using "excessive, disproportionate" force in a raid on a camp for displaced persons in Darfur that left more than 30 dead.
The unusually harsh statement from the joint U.N./African Union UNAMID peacekeepers accused Khartoum of breaking a Darfur peace agreement by using guns against displaced people armed mostly with "sticks, knives, and spears".
Armed Sudanese police and soldiers raided South Darfur's Kalma camp in the early hours of Monday morning, claiming they were searching for weapons and suspected rebels and bandits.
Sudan state media published a statement from South Darfur state's Security Committee saying armed camp residents had started the shooting, and that police had been forced to fire back. The statement insisted only five police and seven residents had been injured in the clashes.
But Darfur rebel leaders and Kalma residents told Reuters the Sudanese forces opened fire on people in the camp, then continued to build up their forces around the settlement on Tuesday. Read more >>>>>>>>>>
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Joe Biden on Darfur
Barack Obama has selected Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware to be his vice presidential running mate, choosing a veteran senator with a strong foreign policy background. What he can do to help solve Darfur crisis?
Sunday, August 17, 2008
A wrong theme for the Beijing Olympics
17 August 2008
By Taban Abel Aguek
August 16, 2008 — "One World, One Dream" as the theme for the Beijing Olympics, though only in words, is as beautiful as the Bird’s Nest Stadium where the ceremony for the world sports was officially opened; but ironically it reflects exactly the opposite of what China portrays in the world.
Unless the theme is confined to suit sports only, there is no way one would believe that China could both be a perpetrator of love and peace and at the same time the mentor behind the war and genocide in Darfur. This proved beyond all doubt that China has opened its doors for the world’s Olympics not in beautiful colors but also in forms of an attractive wording to make up a theme that will put a curtain on the face of the world.
In terms of sports Beijing Olympics bring joy to hearts of many people around the world. However, sports are a little fraction of total humanness. For the world to be driven to Olympics with one dream, with China as the driver is not worthy. It has been clear that the world has never been one for China and is not one even as it hosts Olympics and enticing the world with a nice theme, to many people, is only one of the coloring flavors added to the Olympics. It is a paradox that one China cheers up athletes in Beijing and at the same time, cheers up the killing of the innocent people of Darfur. So how can the world be one for people in Darfur and what dream do they have?
Thicker than the Beijing wall, China is the main country that the Sudan Government uses to lean on as it commits all atrocities against human rights. Sudanese oil finds it way to China only to flow in rivers of blood in several parts of Sudan. When the President of Sudan went to China in the year 2006 for the Africa-China summit, he stood up and stated so ignorantly that the number of deaths in Darfur was a mere 10,000 people, not 200,000 as claimed by the media. Surprisingly, the government of China could not question Al Beshir, the president of Sudan, if it was not a disaster for a government to kill 10,000 people in a space of three years when they are the same people whose lives are entrusted to it to secure and manage with utmost care. Instead, China felt that was far too little than it articulated for the guns it sent to Sudan. If that is the meaning of one world, then the dreams are very many and parallel.
Today there is talk of all niceties between China and Sudan of a relationship that was long in the grave, recently resurrected 50 years after the discovery of oil in the South of the Sudan. There was no such relation before, and the most genuine thing about such affair is that the two countries, China and Sudan, needed a story to explain the revival of their intimate friendship because oil alone portrays more of a bloody deal than a mere economic affair. Sudan lost friends in the West and Europe, and another, not only as a substitute but also a defender in mistakes it may commit or have already committed was more presented in China as a rising super power and a rival to the West. The arms and veto that are both possessed by China are important aspects that make the value of the Sudanese oil something that is less than a business commodity, though Chinese relation is akin to a Chinese spare part, usually, that can not complete a round of a journey.
During the UN Security Council resolution 1607 that demanded the deployment of about 23,000 strong peace keeping mission in Darfur, it was China that first raised a hand against it and the main barrier against all the sanctions that Sudan was suppose to shoulder. In June 2006, after having secured assurance of protection from the China, the president of the Republic of the Sudan announced that he would lead war against the international peace keepers than be a head of state of a nation that was falling under what he described as a new colonization. He warned that because of this neocolonialism, Sudan, if it went to war with the West, would have been another Iraq in Africa; but again forgot to declare himself another Saddam. Yet, it was the same man and his Chinese allies that colonized Sudan more than ever before. Sudanese die everyday from Darfur in the West, Kasalla in the East and the whole of the South because of China supported government in Khartoum. It is the same China that supplies this rhetoric government with arms for purpose dividing one world into so many different suffering classes, with others living in vulnerable camps and slums, that today changes not in heart but in words for mere beauty and attraction.
After the Olympics I will be one of the people that will have their ears wide open to listen to China. The war in Darfur needs the intervention of China. The world has opened its paths to China and the only way it must pay back to all the people around the world is peace in Darfur.
Still this is a big doubt. China lives in its own world and has one dream: to be the world super power – if it matters that it should be at the expense of the poor innocent Africans so much the best. There is nothing that China can not do to achieve this status and the Beijing Olympics is one of the projects set to drive them to this target. For China to be a super power counts more than gold medals and more than half the Sudan – guess which half. Skeptics are never bad people. China will have to convince the world in action, not in words at the end of the Beijing Olympics that the world is one and dream is good for the people of Darfur.
Taban Abel Aguek
email: agaj_preciouson@yahoo.com
By Taban Abel Aguek
August 16, 2008 — "One World, One Dream" as the theme for the Beijing Olympics, though only in words, is as beautiful as the Bird’s Nest Stadium where the ceremony for the world sports was officially opened; but ironically it reflects exactly the opposite of what China portrays in the world.
Unless the theme is confined to suit sports only, there is no way one would believe that China could both be a perpetrator of love and peace and at the same time the mentor behind the war and genocide in Darfur. This proved beyond all doubt that China has opened its doors for the world’s Olympics not in beautiful colors but also in forms of an attractive wording to make up a theme that will put a curtain on the face of the world.
In terms of sports Beijing Olympics bring joy to hearts of many people around the world. However, sports are a little fraction of total humanness. For the world to be driven to Olympics with one dream, with China as the driver is not worthy. It has been clear that the world has never been one for China and is not one even as it hosts Olympics and enticing the world with a nice theme, to many people, is only one of the coloring flavors added to the Olympics. It is a paradox that one China cheers up athletes in Beijing and at the same time, cheers up the killing of the innocent people of Darfur. So how can the world be one for people in Darfur and what dream do they have?
Thicker than the Beijing wall, China is the main country that the Sudan Government uses to lean on as it commits all atrocities against human rights. Sudanese oil finds it way to China only to flow in rivers of blood in several parts of Sudan. When the President of Sudan went to China in the year 2006 for the Africa-China summit, he stood up and stated so ignorantly that the number of deaths in Darfur was a mere 10,000 people, not 200,000 as claimed by the media. Surprisingly, the government of China could not question Al Beshir, the president of Sudan, if it was not a disaster for a government to kill 10,000 people in a space of three years when they are the same people whose lives are entrusted to it to secure and manage with utmost care. Instead, China felt that was far too little than it articulated for the guns it sent to Sudan. If that is the meaning of one world, then the dreams are very many and parallel.
Today there is talk of all niceties between China and Sudan of a relationship that was long in the grave, recently resurrected 50 years after the discovery of oil in the South of the Sudan. There was no such relation before, and the most genuine thing about such affair is that the two countries, China and Sudan, needed a story to explain the revival of their intimate friendship because oil alone portrays more of a bloody deal than a mere economic affair. Sudan lost friends in the West and Europe, and another, not only as a substitute but also a defender in mistakes it may commit or have already committed was more presented in China as a rising super power and a rival to the West. The arms and veto that are both possessed by China are important aspects that make the value of the Sudanese oil something that is less than a business commodity, though Chinese relation is akin to a Chinese spare part, usually, that can not complete a round of a journey.
During the UN Security Council resolution 1607 that demanded the deployment of about 23,000 strong peace keeping mission in Darfur, it was China that first raised a hand against it and the main barrier against all the sanctions that Sudan was suppose to shoulder. In June 2006, after having secured assurance of protection from the China, the president of the Republic of the Sudan announced that he would lead war against the international peace keepers than be a head of state of a nation that was falling under what he described as a new colonization. He warned that because of this neocolonialism, Sudan, if it went to war with the West, would have been another Iraq in Africa; but again forgot to declare himself another Saddam. Yet, it was the same man and his Chinese allies that colonized Sudan more than ever before. Sudanese die everyday from Darfur in the West, Kasalla in the East and the whole of the South because of China supported government in Khartoum. It is the same China that supplies this rhetoric government with arms for purpose dividing one world into so many different suffering classes, with others living in vulnerable camps and slums, that today changes not in heart but in words for mere beauty and attraction.
After the Olympics I will be one of the people that will have their ears wide open to listen to China. The war in Darfur needs the intervention of China. The world has opened its paths to China and the only way it must pay back to all the people around the world is peace in Darfur.
Still this is a big doubt. China lives in its own world and has one dream: to be the world super power – if it matters that it should be at the expense of the poor innocent Africans so much the best. There is nothing that China can not do to achieve this status and the Beijing Olympics is one of the projects set to drive them to this target. For China to be a super power counts more than gold medals and more than half the Sudan – guess which half. Skeptics are never bad people. China will have to convince the world in action, not in words at the end of the Beijing Olympics that the world is one and dream is good for the people of Darfur.
Taban Abel Aguek
email: agaj_preciouson@yahoo.com
Darfur onslaught 'to clear way for Chinese oil hunt
A major offensive involving 300 Sudanese government battlewagons intended to clear space for Chinese oil exploration in Darfur's far north has begun, according to rebel commanders who have come under attack.
Oil companies have been waiting for the Government to secure the region before starting work on seismic surveys.
The claims of fresh fighting come after Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese President, embarked on a two-day peace mission to Darfur last month, promising investment and inviting rebel leaders to talks.
His visit took place days after the International Criminal Court's prosecutor accused him of genocide, murder and crimes against humanity.
Suleiman Marajan, a commander with one faction of the Sudan Liberation Army, said yesterday that the Government had lied to the world with its message of peace.
“The Government of Sudan has attacked our places with 300 vehicles. They have been here for three days protecting Chinese oil workers,” he told The Times by satellite telephone from North Darfur. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Oil companies have been waiting for the Government to secure the region before starting work on seismic surveys.
The claims of fresh fighting come after Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese President, embarked on a two-day peace mission to Darfur last month, promising investment and inviting rebel leaders to talks.
His visit took place days after the International Criminal Court's prosecutor accused him of genocide, murder and crimes against humanity.
Suleiman Marajan, a commander with one faction of the Sudan Liberation Army, said yesterday that the Government had lied to the world with its message of peace.
“The Government of Sudan has attacked our places with 300 vehicles. They have been here for three days protecting Chinese oil workers,” he told The Times by satellite telephone from North Darfur. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Sudan 'launches attack in Darfur'
Sudan's government has launched a major offensive against rebel bases in the far north of Darfur, two rebel factions have said.
A commander from a faction of the Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA) said about 270 vehicles and 500 Janjaweed fighters were involved in the attack.
Nine rebels and nine civilians had been killed, he said.
An army spokesman declined to comment. The government has previously denied links to Janjaweed fighters.
A commander from the Abdul Wahed faction of the SLA, Sulieman Marajan, told the BBC that the Janjaweed had attacked on camel and horseback.
He said the attacks were part of a plan by the government to destroy all of the rebel bases in northern Darfur, adding that he believed rebels from neighbouring Chad were taking part in the operation.
Chad has accused Sudan of harbouring and supporting Chadian rebels. Analysts say the two countries are fighting a proxy war using each other's rebel forces.
Oil exploration
The Sudanese army now controlled the area around Wadi Atron, near the border with Libya, the SLA commander said. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>
A commander from a faction of the Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA) said about 270 vehicles and 500 Janjaweed fighters were involved in the attack.
Nine rebels and nine civilians had been killed, he said.
An army spokesman declined to comment. The government has previously denied links to Janjaweed fighters.
A commander from the Abdul Wahed faction of the SLA, Sulieman Marajan, told the BBC that the Janjaweed had attacked on camel and horseback.
He said the attacks were part of a plan by the government to destroy all of the rebel bases in northern Darfur, adding that he believed rebels from neighbouring Chad were taking part in the operation.
Chad has accused Sudan of harbouring and supporting Chadian rebels. Analysts say the two countries are fighting a proxy war using each other's rebel forces.
Oil exploration
The Sudanese army now controlled the area around Wadi Atron, near the border with Libya, the SLA commander said. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>
Monday, August 11, 2008
Darfur Olympics: Day 4 of 8: Darfur and China
For the past five years, Beijing has been the most important economic and diplomatic supporter of the regime in Sudan, which is slaughtering its own unarmed citizens.
In today's webcast, at left, Mia talks about the Beijing Games against the backdrop of the refugee camp. Read & watch more >>>>>>>>>>>>
In today's webcast, at left, Mia talks about the Beijing Games against the backdrop of the refugee camp. Read & watch more >>>>>>>>>>>>
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Victims of Genocide in Darfur: Past, Present, and Future
By Eric Reeves,
Deteriorating humanitarian conditions and access, amidst deepening insecurity, present unprecedented threats to civilians previously displaced or affected by ethnically-targeted violence
Despite what amounts to a humanitarian “news black-out” mounted by UN officials in Khartoum, a host of indicators suggest that Darfuris have entered the most perilous season of destruction since the advent of major humanitarian operations in summer 2004. Significant malnutrition is already in evidence according to numerous confidential reports from the ground in Darfur and from well-informed humanitarian officials. This occurs as the population in need of food grows by approximately one million human beings during the current rainy season/hunger gap. Prospects for harvests in the fall are gloomy, and this follows the disastrous harvests of last year, especially in South Darfur and North Darfur.
Food prices have increased by 150% in some areas. Because Khartoum refuses to escort UN World Food Program convoys in sufficient numbers, WFP is still unable to provide full rations to individuals weakened by more than five years of conflict. Other threats to civilians include a growing lack of potable water, diminished access to primary medical care, and a continuing climate of violence and impunity, threatening not only vulnerable civilians but humanitarian workers. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>
Deteriorating humanitarian conditions and access, amidst deepening insecurity, present unprecedented threats to civilians previously displaced or affected by ethnically-targeted violence
Despite what amounts to a humanitarian “news black-out” mounted by UN officials in Khartoum, a host of indicators suggest that Darfuris have entered the most perilous season of destruction since the advent of major humanitarian operations in summer 2004. Significant malnutrition is already in evidence according to numerous confidential reports from the ground in Darfur and from well-informed humanitarian officials. This occurs as the population in need of food grows by approximately one million human beings during the current rainy season/hunger gap. Prospects for harvests in the fall are gloomy, and this follows the disastrous harvests of last year, especially in South Darfur and North Darfur.
Food prices have increased by 150% in some areas. Because Khartoum refuses to escort UN World Food Program convoys in sufficient numbers, WFP is still unable to provide full rations to individuals weakened by more than five years of conflict. Other threats to civilians include a growing lack of potable water, diminished access to primary medical care, and a continuing climate of violence and impunity, threatening not only vulnerable civilians but humanitarian workers. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>
Victims of Genocide in Darfur: Past, Present, and Future
By Eric Reeves,
Deteriorating humanitarian conditions and access, amidst deepening insecurity, present unprecedented threats to civilians previously displaced or affected by ethnically-targeted violence
Despite what amounts to a humanitarian “news black-out” mounted by UN officials in Khartoum, a host of indicators suggest that Darfuris have entered the most perilous season of destruction since the advent of major humanitarian operations in summer 2004. Significant malnutrition is already in evidence according to numerous confidential reports from the ground in Darfur and from well-informed humanitarian officials. This occurs as the population in need of food grows by approximately one million human beings during the current rainy season/hunger gap. Prospects for harvests in the fall are gloomy, and this follows the disastrous harvests of last year, especially in South Darfur and North Darfur.
Food prices have increased by 150% in some areas. Because Khartoum refuses to escort UN World Food Program convoys in sufficient numbers, WFP is still unable to provide full rations to individuals weakened by more than five years of conflict. Other threats to civilians include a growing lack of potable water, diminished access to primary medical care, and a continuing climate of violence and impunity, threatening not only vulnerable civilians but humanitarian workers. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>
Deteriorating humanitarian conditions and access, amidst deepening insecurity, present unprecedented threats to civilians previously displaced or affected by ethnically-targeted violence
Despite what amounts to a humanitarian “news black-out” mounted by UN officials in Khartoum, a host of indicators suggest that Darfuris have entered the most perilous season of destruction since the advent of major humanitarian operations in summer 2004. Significant malnutrition is already in evidence according to numerous confidential reports from the ground in Darfur and from well-informed humanitarian officials. This occurs as the population in need of food grows by approximately one million human beings during the current rainy season/hunger gap. Prospects for harvests in the fall are gloomy, and this follows the disastrous harvests of last year, especially in South Darfur and North Darfur.
Food prices have increased by 150% in some areas. Because Khartoum refuses to escort UN World Food Program convoys in sufficient numbers, WFP is still unable to provide full rations to individuals weakened by more than five years of conflict. Other threats to civilians include a growing lack of potable water, diminished access to primary medical care, and a continuing climate of violence and impunity, threatening not only vulnerable civilians but humanitarian workers. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>
Darfur Withers as Sudan Sells Food
By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN
ED DAMER, Sudan — Even as it receives a billion pounds of free food from international donors, Sudan is growing and selling vast quantities of its own crops to other countries, capitalizing on high global food prices at a time when millions of people in its war-riddled region of Darfur barely have enough to eat.
Here in the bone-dry desert, where desiccated donkey carcasses line the road, huge green fields suddenly materialize. Beans. Wheat. Sorghum. Melons. Peanuts. Pumpkins. Eggplant. It is all grown here, part of an ambitious government plan for Sudanese self-sufficiency, creating giant mechanized farms that rise out of the sand like mirages.
But how much of this bonanza is getting back to the hungry Sudanese, like the 2.5 million driven into camps in Darfur? And why is a country that exports so many of its own crops receiving more free food than anywhere else in the world, especially when the Sudanese government is blamed for creating the crisis in the first place? Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>
ED DAMER, Sudan — Even as it receives a billion pounds of free food from international donors, Sudan is growing and selling vast quantities of its own crops to other countries, capitalizing on high global food prices at a time when millions of people in its war-riddled region of Darfur barely have enough to eat.
Here in the bone-dry desert, where desiccated donkey carcasses line the road, huge green fields suddenly materialize. Beans. Wheat. Sorghum. Melons. Peanuts. Pumpkins. Eggplant. It is all grown here, part of an ambitious government plan for Sudanese self-sufficiency, creating giant mechanized farms that rise out of the sand like mirages.
But how much of this bonanza is getting back to the hungry Sudanese, like the 2.5 million driven into camps in Darfur? And why is a country that exports so many of its own crops receiving more free food than anywhere else in the world, especially when the Sudanese government is blamed for creating the crisis in the first place? Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>
Friday, August 08, 2008
Bring the Olympic Dream to Darfur
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Dpc0UbjLtU0rs1ZDsger%2FdLE4nDI8uII
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Statement from Sudanese Civil Society in Europe
Statement from Sudanese Civil Society in Europe
The Prosecutor of International Criminal Court in The Hague indicted Sudanese president Omar Al Bashir of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. Sudanese regime sought for support against the indictment mainly from Arab and African nations to escape the justice. Sudanese embassies in United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium and France jointly galvanized a group of Sudanese to rally at ICC against the indictment of Al Bashir on Saturday 02 August 2008. To guarantee a high number of participants, Sudanese embassies used whatever necessary to stimulate or compel the Sudanese residing in EU nations.
The rally that Sudanese embassies intend to organize is no more than a deliberate insult to the victims of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan.
We call on all civil society activists in EU nations to counteract against the Sudanese- coordinated rally on Saturday. All Sudanese are invited to demonstrate at ICC in support of the ICC's decision to indict the suspect of gross crimes against mankind. We believe that justice will be done for the victims of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity without only by International Criminal Court and applying international law in cases of heinous crimes.
For more details, please contact the following:
Netherlands
+31 642330058
+31 617583546
France
+33 642070471
Belgium
+32 472372137
+32 485698155
UK
+44 7961213421
Italy
+39 32894554
The Prosecutor of International Criminal Court in The Hague indicted Sudanese president Omar Al Bashir of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. Sudanese regime sought for support against the indictment mainly from Arab and African nations to escape the justice. Sudanese embassies in United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium and France jointly galvanized a group of Sudanese to rally at ICC against the indictment of Al Bashir on Saturday 02 August 2008. To guarantee a high number of participants, Sudanese embassies used whatever necessary to stimulate or compel the Sudanese residing in EU nations.
The rally that Sudanese embassies intend to organize is no more than a deliberate insult to the victims of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan.
We call on all civil society activists in EU nations to counteract against the Sudanese- coordinated rally on Saturday. All Sudanese are invited to demonstrate at ICC in support of the ICC's decision to indict the suspect of gross crimes against mankind. We believe that justice will be done for the victims of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity without only by International Criminal Court and applying international law in cases of heinous crimes.
For more details, please contact the following:
Netherlands
+31 642330058
+31 617583546
France
+33 642070471
Belgium
+32 472372137
+32 485698155
UK
+44 7961213421
Italy
+39 32894554
NEW REPORT CALLS ON STATES TO PROVIDE HELICOPTERS TO DARFUR PEACEKEEPERS
For Immediate Release
Thursday July 31, 2008
Contact: Brendan Cox
+ 44 7957 120 853
Brendan.cox@crisisaction.org
Allyn Brooks-LaSure
1-202-478-6174
press@savedarfur.org
Ahmed M. Mohamedain
+31 642330058
contact@darfurcall.org
NEW REPORT CALLS ON STATES TO PROVIDE HELICOPTERS TO DARFUR PEACEKEEPERS
On anniversary of Darfur mission, a new report targets, Czech Republic, India, Italy, Romania, Spain and Ukraine for needed peacekeeping helicopters
New York – Marking the one year anniversary of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1769 – which authorized deployment of the Darfur peacekeeping mission –a new report sets out for the first time which countries have the critically-lacking helicopters needed to protect civilians in Darfur.
The report, titled “Grounded: the International Community’s Betrayal of UNAMID” carries a foreword by the group of Elders who visited Sudan recently, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Lakhdar Brahimi, President Jimmy Carter and Graca Machel and is endorsed by more than thirty human rights groups, think tanks and NGO’s including the Cairo Institute for Human Rights, International Crisis Group, the Sudan Organisation Against Torture and the Save Darfur Coalition.
“Early this month peacekeepers were attacked in Darfur. They were outmanned and outgunned. Because no country has provided helicopters for the UN force there was no back-up and seven peacekeepers paid with their lives. On today’s anniversary of the mission it’s time the international community got serious about enabling peacekeepers to do their job of protecting civilians and handed over these helicopters,” said Amjad Atallah, a spokesperson for the coalition.
The report, written by aviation expert Thomas Withington is the first to look in detail at which countries have available resources that could be provided to the mission. It finds that:
Of the 18 transport helicopters required by the force, not a single one has yet been offered; this compares to an estimated 350 such helicopters in use in Iraq.
The report identifies more than 20 countries with surplus aircraft that could be made available for the mission.
The six countries best placed to provide transport helicopters, Italy, Ukraine, India, Spain, Romania and the Czech Republic, between them have an estimated 71 helicopters available, four times the requirement.
NATO member states alone could jointly provide 104 such helicopters, almost six times the requirement.
The report’s conclusions are based on extensive research of helicopter capacity and investigations into the number of helicopters already deployed in theatre. The report assumes a three helicopter rotation i.e. for every one helicopter deployed, two others need to be available on rotation.
In the foreword to the report, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Lakhdar Brahimi, President Jimmy Carter and Graca Machel state,
“This report sets out for the first time which states have the necessary helicopters and estimates how many are available for deployment to Darfur. It identifies a number of countries -- including the Czech Republic, India, Italy, Romania, Spain and Ukraine -- that have large numbers of helicopters that meet the required specifications and are not on mission or mission rotation elsewhere. Many of these helicopters are gathering dust in hangars or flying in air shows when they could be saving lives in Darfur.”
The report notes that the resourcing issue is much deeper than simply an issue of helicopters and that many other basic supplies, from boots to ration packs, are also yet to be provided. It also makes clear that UNAMID is only part of the solution to the situation in Darfur and that a peace process is essential to a long term solution.
Actor and Darfur activist George Clooney, who has been appointed by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon as a “UN Peace of Messenger” for his work on Darfur said,
“Many governments have offered expressions of concern, but few have offered the most basic tools necessary to keep civilians safe and for peacekeepers to do their job. To ensure the success of UNAMID and the safety of peacekeepers, we do not need more rhetoric, we need resources. It is time for governments to put their helicopters where their mouths are.”
The report recommends:
Countries with the ability to provide these helicopters must do so immediately.
Security Council members – especially the P5 - must engage in concerted diplomacy to make sure this happens.
Any upgrades needed should be resourced by the member state, the UN or third countries.
Those countries without helicopters should redouble their efforts to assist the UN to fill the other gaps in resources for the force.
Pressure should be maintained on the Government of Sudan to stop obstructing the full deployment of UNAMID.
Events are expected in key capitals to mark the anniversary. In New York City activists planned to bring a helicopter to the United Nations headquarters, underscoring the need for leading nations to supply the critically-lacking helicopters to the UNAMID peacekeeping mission. Groups will also highlight a petition with more than 50,000 signatures – urging the permanent five members of the U.N. Security Council to fulfill their obligations and commitments to the Darfuri people.
Editors Notes:
The full text of the report is available here: www.globefordarfur.org
On July 31, 2007, the U.N. Security Council passed Resolution 1769, which authorized a peacekeeping force 26,000 strong to protect the Darfuri people. The mission – the largest authorized force in U.N. history – has only deployed 9,000 to the region, many of which were held over from the African Union force that preceded it. The resolution's passage was marked by much self-congratulation, but the U.N. Security Council has failed to match words with deeds that would ensure the swift, full and effective deployment of the UNAMID mission.
Organizations endorsing the report include: Aegis Trust , Americans Against Darfur Genocide, The Arab Program for Human Rights Activists (APHRA), ARI, The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, The Centre for Army Conversion and Disarmament Studies, Collectif Urgence Darfour, Darfur Action Group of South Carolina, Darfur Australia Network, Darfur Call, Darfur Hilfe, Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre, Darfur Union, ENOUGH, European Union of Jewish Student, FEMNET, Genocide Alert, Genocide Intervention Network, The Human Rights Institute of South Africa (HURISA), International Crisis Group, International Refugee Rights Initiative, Italians for Darfur, Japanese for Darfur, NAS International, Dream for Darfur, Physicians for Human Rights, San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition, Save Darfur Coalition, Save Darfur Canada, Society for Threatened People, Sudan Advocacy Action Forum, Sudan Organization Against Torture (SOAT), STAND Canada, Team Darfur, United Nations Association (UNA), Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, Waging Peace.
###
Thursday July 31, 2008
Contact: Brendan Cox
+ 44 7957 120 853
Brendan.cox@crisisaction.org
Allyn Brooks-LaSure
1-202-478-6174
press@savedarfur.org
Ahmed M. Mohamedain
+31 642330058
contact@darfurcall.org
NEW REPORT CALLS ON STATES TO PROVIDE HELICOPTERS TO DARFUR PEACEKEEPERS
On anniversary of Darfur mission, a new report targets, Czech Republic, India, Italy, Romania, Spain and Ukraine for needed peacekeeping helicopters
New York – Marking the one year anniversary of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1769 – which authorized deployment of the Darfur peacekeeping mission –a new report sets out for the first time which countries have the critically-lacking helicopters needed to protect civilians in Darfur.
The report, titled “Grounded: the International Community’s Betrayal of UNAMID” carries a foreword by the group of Elders who visited Sudan recently, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Lakhdar Brahimi, President Jimmy Carter and Graca Machel and is endorsed by more than thirty human rights groups, think tanks and NGO’s including the Cairo Institute for Human Rights, International Crisis Group, the Sudan Organisation Against Torture and the Save Darfur Coalition.
“Early this month peacekeepers were attacked in Darfur. They were outmanned and outgunned. Because no country has provided helicopters for the UN force there was no back-up and seven peacekeepers paid with their lives. On today’s anniversary of the mission it’s time the international community got serious about enabling peacekeepers to do their job of protecting civilians and handed over these helicopters,” said Amjad Atallah, a spokesperson for the coalition.
The report, written by aviation expert Thomas Withington is the first to look in detail at which countries have available resources that could be provided to the mission. It finds that:
Of the 18 transport helicopters required by the force, not a single one has yet been offered; this compares to an estimated 350 such helicopters in use in Iraq.
The report identifies more than 20 countries with surplus aircraft that could be made available for the mission.
The six countries best placed to provide transport helicopters, Italy, Ukraine, India, Spain, Romania and the Czech Republic, between them have an estimated 71 helicopters available, four times the requirement.
NATO member states alone could jointly provide 104 such helicopters, almost six times the requirement.
The report’s conclusions are based on extensive research of helicopter capacity and investigations into the number of helicopters already deployed in theatre. The report assumes a three helicopter rotation i.e. for every one helicopter deployed, two others need to be available on rotation.
In the foreword to the report, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Lakhdar Brahimi, President Jimmy Carter and Graca Machel state,
“This report sets out for the first time which states have the necessary helicopters and estimates how many are available for deployment to Darfur. It identifies a number of countries -- including the Czech Republic, India, Italy, Romania, Spain and Ukraine -- that have large numbers of helicopters that meet the required specifications and are not on mission or mission rotation elsewhere. Many of these helicopters are gathering dust in hangars or flying in air shows when they could be saving lives in Darfur.”
The report notes that the resourcing issue is much deeper than simply an issue of helicopters and that many other basic supplies, from boots to ration packs, are also yet to be provided. It also makes clear that UNAMID is only part of the solution to the situation in Darfur and that a peace process is essential to a long term solution.
Actor and Darfur activist George Clooney, who has been appointed by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon as a “UN Peace of Messenger” for his work on Darfur said,
“Many governments have offered expressions of concern, but few have offered the most basic tools necessary to keep civilians safe and for peacekeepers to do their job. To ensure the success of UNAMID and the safety of peacekeepers, we do not need more rhetoric, we need resources. It is time for governments to put their helicopters where their mouths are.”
The report recommends:
Countries with the ability to provide these helicopters must do so immediately.
Security Council members – especially the P5 - must engage in concerted diplomacy to make sure this happens.
Any upgrades needed should be resourced by the member state, the UN or third countries.
Those countries without helicopters should redouble their efforts to assist the UN to fill the other gaps in resources for the force.
Pressure should be maintained on the Government of Sudan to stop obstructing the full deployment of UNAMID.
Events are expected in key capitals to mark the anniversary. In New York City activists planned to bring a helicopter to the United Nations headquarters, underscoring the need for leading nations to supply the critically-lacking helicopters to the UNAMID peacekeeping mission. Groups will also highlight a petition with more than 50,000 signatures – urging the permanent five members of the U.N. Security Council to fulfill their obligations and commitments to the Darfuri people.
Editors Notes:
The full text of the report is available here: www.globefordarfur.org
On July 31, 2007, the U.N. Security Council passed Resolution 1769, which authorized a peacekeeping force 26,000 strong to protect the Darfuri people. The mission – the largest authorized force in U.N. history – has only deployed 9,000 to the region, many of which were held over from the African Union force that preceded it. The resolution's passage was marked by much self-congratulation, but the U.N. Security Council has failed to match words with deeds that would ensure the swift, full and effective deployment of the UNAMID mission.
Organizations endorsing the report include: Aegis Trust , Americans Against Darfur Genocide, The Arab Program for Human Rights Activists (APHRA), ARI, The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, The Centre for Army Conversion and Disarmament Studies, Collectif Urgence Darfour, Darfur Action Group of South Carolina, Darfur Australia Network, Darfur Call, Darfur Hilfe, Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre, Darfur Union, ENOUGH, European Union of Jewish Student, FEMNET, Genocide Alert, Genocide Intervention Network, The Human Rights Institute of South Africa (HURISA), International Crisis Group, International Refugee Rights Initiative, Italians for Darfur, Japanese for Darfur, NAS International, Dream for Darfur, Physicians for Human Rights, San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition, Save Darfur Coalition, Save Darfur Canada, Society for Threatened People, Sudan Advocacy Action Forum, Sudan Organization Against Torture (SOAT), STAND Canada, Team Darfur, United Nations Association (UNA), Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, Waging Peace.
###
Monday, July 28, 2008
Former Sudanese army commander reveals 'war crimes' in Darfur
By: Channel 4 News
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1184614595/bctid1667996388
A former Sudanese army commander tells More4 News of the part he played in war crimes in Darfur.
So, what is the evidence of Sudanese government involvement in arming and directing the Janjaweed militias?
One man with inside knowledge of what really happened is Arbab Idries. He's a former Sudanese army commander. And he's told More4 News of the part he played in war crimes in Darfur.
And that shocking testimony directly implicates the government in Khartoum.
This exclusive report contains distressing images and offensive language. Read more >>>>>>
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1184614595/bctid1667996388
A former Sudanese army commander tells More4 News of the part he played in war crimes in Darfur.
So, what is the evidence of Sudanese government involvement in arming and directing the Janjaweed militias?
One man with inside knowledge of what really happened is Arbab Idries. He's a former Sudanese army commander. And he's told More4 News of the part he played in war crimes in Darfur.
And that shocking testimony directly implicates the government in Khartoum.
This exclusive report contains distressing images and offensive language. Read more >>>>>>
Justice is the key to peace in Darfur
By James C. O'Brien
Although some fear that prosecuting Sudan's president could halt progress in the region, it is the only way to secure lasting stability.
By James C. O'Brien
Discuss Article The arrest of Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic last week demonstrates that justice is possible. Far from being the political leader he styled himself as, Karadzic, who has been indicted on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity, is now just a criminal.
Karadzic's arrest makes the case for the pursuit of justice when it comes to Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir. Luis Moreno-Ocampo, International Criminal Court chief prosecutor, recently accused Bashir of committing genocide and other crimes in Darfur. In the next few months, the court's judges are likely to issue an international arrest warrant for him. Some worry that this will interfere with peace talks and humanitarian operations inside Sudan -- but the fact is that past experience proves that the pursuit of justice can help bring about peace. Read more >>>>>>>>
Although some fear that prosecuting Sudan's president could halt progress in the region, it is the only way to secure lasting stability.
By James C. O'Brien
Discuss Article The arrest of Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic last week demonstrates that justice is possible. Far from being the political leader he styled himself as, Karadzic, who has been indicted on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity, is now just a criminal.
Karadzic's arrest makes the case for the pursuit of justice when it comes to Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir. Luis Moreno-Ocampo, International Criminal Court chief prosecutor, recently accused Bashir of committing genocide and other crimes in Darfur. In the next few months, the court's judges are likely to issue an international arrest warrant for him. Some worry that this will interfere with peace talks and humanitarian operations inside Sudan -- but the fact is that past experience proves that the pursuit of justice can help bring about peace. Read more >>>>>>>>
Monday, July 21, 2008
Arrest al-Bashir is a path to secure peace in Darfur
By ZACHARY OCHIENG
Special Correspondent
Last week’s request for a warrant of arrest for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Luis Moreno-Ocampo, continues to draw mixed reactions.
However, a report by the think tank ENOUGH Project argues that the call to arrest al-Bashir is not only based on sound evidence, but that it can be a step forward in the path to secure peace in Darfur.
The report cites the cases of Slobodan Milosevic and Charles Taylor, as past indictments of war criminals that brought the desired results.
“The status quo in Sudan is one of the deadliest in the world. Until there is a consequence for the commission of genocide, it will continue. This action introduces a cost, finally, into the equation,” says John Mr Prendergast, the co-chair of Enough. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>
Special Correspondent
Last week’s request for a warrant of arrest for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Luis Moreno-Ocampo, continues to draw mixed reactions.
However, a report by the think tank ENOUGH Project argues that the call to arrest al-Bashir is not only based on sound evidence, but that it can be a step forward in the path to secure peace in Darfur.
The report cites the cases of Slobodan Milosevic and Charles Taylor, as past indictments of war criminals that brought the desired results.
“The status quo in Sudan is one of the deadliest in the world. Until there is a consequence for the commission of genocide, it will continue. This action introduces a cost, finally, into the equation,” says John Mr Prendergast, the co-chair of Enough. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>
UN cannot interfere with ICC ruling on Darfur
UN cannot interfere with ICC ruling on Darfur: spokeswoman
The United Nations cannot interfere with the decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor to seek the arrest of Sudan's president for alleged genocide in Darfur, spokeswoman Michele Montas said Monday.
"The position of the Secretary General is very clear," Montas told a press briefing. "The ICC is an independent body. The secretariat of the United Nations cannot interfere nor be involved in anything that involve the ICC."
She made the remarks after African Union (AU) leaders on Monday asked the UN Security Council to delay any decision by the ICC on whether to indict Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir on genocide and war crimes charges.
Citing the need to "ensure that the ongoing peace process (in Darfur) is not jeopardized," Nigerian Foreign Minister Ojo Maduekwe told reporters that the AU was seeking "a delay within the rules of the Rome Statute (which created the ICC ten years ago). Read more >>>>>>>
The United Nations cannot interfere with the decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor to seek the arrest of Sudan's president for alleged genocide in Darfur, spokeswoman Michele Montas said Monday.
"The position of the Secretary General is very clear," Montas told a press briefing. "The ICC is an independent body. The secretariat of the United Nations cannot interfere nor be involved in anything that involve the ICC."
She made the remarks after African Union (AU) leaders on Monday asked the UN Security Council to delay any decision by the ICC on whether to indict Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir on genocide and war crimes charges.
Citing the need to "ensure that the ongoing peace process (in Darfur) is not jeopardized," Nigerian Foreign Minister Ojo Maduekwe told reporters that the AU was seeking "a delay within the rules of the Rome Statute (which created the ICC ten years ago). Read more >>>>>>>
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Frost Over the World - President Omar al-Bashir - 20 June 08
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir tells Sir David that 90 per cent of the people in the region are leading a normal life. He describes the ICC as a terrorist organisation and says the United States lacks the moral authority to speak about events in Darfur.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Turning up the heat in Darfur
The prosecutor for the international criminal court (ICC), following a three-year investigation, has charged the president of the Sudanese regime, Omar al-Bashir, with genocide and crimes against humanity. Whatever the implications of this unprecedented action for the future of Khartoum's National Islamic Front, there are good reasons to believe that the ICC has struck a broader blow against the complacent conviction, prevailing in too many countries, of sovereign immunity from atrocity crimes.
But the issue of the day seems not to be these extraordinary criminal charges themselves, but how Khartoum's génocidaire-in-chief will respond to the ICC announcement. Yet the issue has been badly framed with its focus so exclusively on Bashir. He heads a security cabal that has remained largely unchanged since it came to power by military coup in June 1989, deposing an elected government and never itself holding meaningful elections. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
But the issue of the day seems not to be these extraordinary criminal charges themselves, but how Khartoum's génocidaire-in-chief will respond to the ICC announcement. Yet the issue has been badly framed with its focus so exclusively on Bashir. He heads a security cabal that has remained largely unchanged since it came to power by military coup in June 1989, deposing an elected government and never itself holding meaningful elections. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
ICC Prosecutor Indicts high ranking official
For Immediate Release. The Hague, 14th July 2008
ICC Prosecutor Indicts high ranking official
Since 2003, the people of Darfur have undergone terrible genocide coordinated by the government of Sudan. A savage scorched-earth campaign of rape, killing, pillaging and burning of villages was carried out with total impunity. More than 300,000 innocent civilians were killed and at least 4 million civilians in Darfur were affected by the armed conflict including internally displace persons (IDPs) and refuges. As a result of the ongoing campaign more than 4,000 villages were totally destroyed. UN Security Council Resolution 1593 (2005) adopted on March 31st, 2005, referred the situation in Darfur to the International Criminal Court under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter because it constitutes a threat to international peace and security.
The government of Sudan played a detrimental role in impeding the efforts of African Union and United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) as well as those of the international humanitarian relief organizations to protect and aid the civilian victims of the conflict in Darfur. GoS has even pursued a policy of targeting UNAMID force and relief workers. On July 8th 2008, seven UNAMID soldiers were killed in Darfur by unknown assailants. The question is who is responsible to hamper UNAMID force from executing their mandate and protect civilians in need in Darfur?
One of the main demands of the people of Darfur especially the victims of the armed conflict in Darfur is that justice takes its course. Justice for the people of Darfur should go hand in hand with negotiations for peaceful settlement. It is both moral and legal obligation in the part of the international community that the perpetrators of the genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur be held accountable.
We, the undersigned Darfur civil society organizations, urge the international press and media to play their pivotal role in raising awareness about the genocide in Darfur. They should help build the necessary momentum in support of the ICC’s work on Darfur and the Prosecutor’s concern about the gross crimes committed in our beleaguered region. We call upon the international press to increase efforts in persuading the international community to keep the situation in Darfur at the top of their agenda. Equally the media should make all efforts to ensure that the ICC conduct its work successfully and that all perpetrator, who ordered, supported or orchestrated the genocide in Darfur in particular those individuals at the highest government ranks, should be held to accountable and punished.
1) Darfur Call – The Netherlands
2) Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre - Switzerland
3) Darfur Peace and Justice - Belgium
4) Darfur Peace and Development – USA
5) Darfur Centre for Human rights and Development - UK
ICC Prosecutor Indicts high ranking official
Since 2003, the people of Darfur have undergone terrible genocide coordinated by the government of Sudan. A savage scorched-earth campaign of rape, killing, pillaging and burning of villages was carried out with total impunity. More than 300,000 innocent civilians were killed and at least 4 million civilians in Darfur were affected by the armed conflict including internally displace persons (IDPs) and refuges. As a result of the ongoing campaign more than 4,000 villages were totally destroyed. UN Security Council Resolution 1593 (2005) adopted on March 31st, 2005, referred the situation in Darfur to the International Criminal Court under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter because it constitutes a threat to international peace and security.
The government of Sudan played a detrimental role in impeding the efforts of African Union and United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) as well as those of the international humanitarian relief organizations to protect and aid the civilian victims of the conflict in Darfur. GoS has even pursued a policy of targeting UNAMID force and relief workers. On July 8th 2008, seven UNAMID soldiers were killed in Darfur by unknown assailants. The question is who is responsible to hamper UNAMID force from executing their mandate and protect civilians in need in Darfur?
One of the main demands of the people of Darfur especially the victims of the armed conflict in Darfur is that justice takes its course. Justice for the people of Darfur should go hand in hand with negotiations for peaceful settlement. It is both moral and legal obligation in the part of the international community that the perpetrators of the genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur be held accountable.
We, the undersigned Darfur civil society organizations, urge the international press and media to play their pivotal role in raising awareness about the genocide in Darfur. They should help build the necessary momentum in support of the ICC’s work on Darfur and the Prosecutor’s concern about the gross crimes committed in our beleaguered region. We call upon the international press to increase efforts in persuading the international community to keep the situation in Darfur at the top of their agenda. Equally the media should make all efforts to ensure that the ICC conduct its work successfully and that all perpetrator, who ordered, supported or orchestrated the genocide in Darfur in particular those individuals at the highest government ranks, should be held to accountable and punished.
1) Darfur Call – The Netherlands
2) Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre - Switzerland
3) Darfur Peace and Justice - Belgium
4) Darfur Peace and Development – USA
5) Darfur Centre for Human rights and Development - UK
ICC Prosecutor Indicts Marshal El Bashier
For Immediate Release. Geneva, 14th July 2008
ICC Prosecutor Indicts Marshal El Bashier
Today, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Mr. Luis Moreno Ocampo presented evidence to the ICC’s Judges against Marshal Omer El Bashier, President of Sudan on charges of gde, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur since 2003. Mr. Ocampo briefed members of the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber on the role played by Omer El Bashier, the suspected war criminals and asked the ICC to issue warrants for his arrest. This is the second time in history an incumbent Head of State has been indicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
We fully support Mr. Ocampo’s timely decision. It has come at a time of increased violence, banditry and insecurity which caused more destruction of lives and livelihoods, forced displacement as well as shrinking humanitarian assistance to the needy people in Darfur. It has come at a time of total inability of African Union/United Nations (AU/UN) military personnel to protect civilian victims of the armed conflict in Darfur from genocidal acts including war crimes and crimes against humanity. Marshal El Bashier and his government have put up a range of obstructions to make it impossible for the AU/UN military force to deploy in Darfur. They have also introduced aggressive administrative measures and created hostile environment to allow humanitarian organizations and aid workers to operate effectively in Darfur. Mr. Ocampo’s decision comes at a time when victims of the conflict in Darfur are losing confidence in the international community’s resolve to do justice to them.
We wish to remind that the decision to refer the situation in Darfur to the ICC was done by means of UN Security Council resolution 1593(2005) of 31st March 2005. This resolution was adopted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter and is mandatory in nature. As such the ICC action on Darfur is a mechanism in fulfilment of the provisions of resolution 1593(2005). We wish to remind all UN member states to fully cooperate with the ICC and meet their obligations to cooperate in implementing mandatory UN resolutions.
We also wish to remind that all persons are equal before international criminal law. Article 27 of the Rome Statute of the ICC on Irrelevance of Official Capacity stated that: “This Statute shall apply equally to all persons without any distinction based on official capacity. In particular, official capacity as a Head of State or Government, a member of a Government or parliament, an elected representative or a government official shall in no case exempt a person from criminal responsibility under this Statute, nor shall it, in and of itself, constitute a ground for reduction of sentence.”
1) Darfur Call – The Hague, The Netherlands +31 642330058
2) Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre – Geneva, Switzerland +41 7973797.49
3) Darfur Peace and Justice – Brussels, Belgium +32 48569155
4) Darfur Peace and Development – Washington, USA +1 2023615589
5) Darfur Centre for Human rights and Development – London, UK+44 7850380180
6) Darfur Union in UK & Ireland – London, UK +44 7930337583
ICC Prosecutor Indicts Marshal El Bashier
Today, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Mr. Luis Moreno Ocampo presented evidence to the ICC’s Judges against Marshal Omer El Bashier, President of Sudan on charges of gde, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur since 2003. Mr. Ocampo briefed members of the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber on the role played by Omer El Bashier, the suspected war criminals and asked the ICC to issue warrants for his arrest. This is the second time in history an incumbent Head of State has been indicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
We fully support Mr. Ocampo’s timely decision. It has come at a time of increased violence, banditry and insecurity which caused more destruction of lives and livelihoods, forced displacement as well as shrinking humanitarian assistance to the needy people in Darfur. It has come at a time of total inability of African Union/United Nations (AU/UN) military personnel to protect civilian victims of the armed conflict in Darfur from genocidal acts including war crimes and crimes against humanity. Marshal El Bashier and his government have put up a range of obstructions to make it impossible for the AU/UN military force to deploy in Darfur. They have also introduced aggressive administrative measures and created hostile environment to allow humanitarian organizations and aid workers to operate effectively in Darfur. Mr. Ocampo’s decision comes at a time when victims of the conflict in Darfur are losing confidence in the international community’s resolve to do justice to them.
We wish to remind that the decision to refer the situation in Darfur to the ICC was done by means of UN Security Council resolution 1593(2005) of 31st March 2005. This resolution was adopted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter and is mandatory in nature. As such the ICC action on Darfur is a mechanism in fulfilment of the provisions of resolution 1593(2005). We wish to remind all UN member states to fully cooperate with the ICC and meet their obligations to cooperate in implementing mandatory UN resolutions.
We also wish to remind that all persons are equal before international criminal law. Article 27 of the Rome Statute of the ICC on Irrelevance of Official Capacity stated that: “This Statute shall apply equally to all persons without any distinction based on official capacity. In particular, official capacity as a Head of State or Government, a member of a Government or parliament, an elected representative or a government official shall in no case exempt a person from criminal responsibility under this Statute, nor shall it, in and of itself, constitute a ground for reduction of sentence.”
1) Darfur Call – The Hague, The Netherlands +31 642330058
2) Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre – Geneva, Switzerland +41 7973797.49
3) Darfur Peace and Justice – Brussels, Belgium +32 48569155
4) Darfur Peace and Development – Washington, USA +1 2023615589
5) Darfur Centre for Human rights and Development – London, UK+44 7850380180
6) Darfur Union in UK & Ireland – London, UK +44 7930337583
Darfuri activists: justice for victims in Darfur cannot wait
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 14 July 2008
Darfuri activists: justice for victims in Darfur cannot wait
Brussels – Reacting to the ICC Prosecutor’s announcement that he has today requested an arrest warrant for Omar al-Bashir, president of Sudan, on charges of genocide, leaders of the Darfuri community in Europe expressed their full support for Ocampo’s work and stressed the importance of the international community’s pursuit of justice for the victims of crimes against humanity in Darfur.
“Our people in Darfur have suffered five years of violence, and no one has been held to account for the terrible crimes committed. We look to the ICC and to the international community to provide justice. The Prosecutor’s announcement today gives us hope that the innocent victims of the conflict in Darfur will not be forgotten, that someday there will be justice for them and dignity for the survivors,” said Ahmed M. Mohamedain, leader of Darfur Call, a Darfuri civil society group based in The Hague.
Darfuri activists have long stressed the importance of pursuing justice while continuing to seek a political resolution to the conflict in Darfur. They have emphasized that the pursuit of justice, far from being incompatible with the peace process, is an important element in moving parties to the conflict away from warfighting in Darfur and towards other solutions.
“Right now, there is no commitment to peace process because everyone is still fighting and committing violent acts, which they know they can do with impunity. If the international community demonstrates that it is serious about justice for the victims in Darfur, it can end this impunity, showing all sides that violence will not be accepted as a solution to Darfur, and showing Darfuri civilians that the world is committed to a fair and just resolution of the conflict,” said Tajeldin A. Adam, leader of the Association of Darfur People in Belgium.
The activists have called especially on the EU to continue to show strong support for the Prosecutor’s work and to insist on Sudanese compliance with the ICC, noting the recent statements from both the Council of Foreign Ministers as well as the European Council (heads of state of the 27 member states) which made clear that the EU will consider further measures against the government of Sudan in the event of continued non-compliance with the ICC.
Abdelbagi Jibril, Executive Director of the Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre, noted: “Those responsible for violence in Darfur are very worried about the ICC. When the case was first referred by the Security Council, there was very little violence in Darfur for nearly six months. This shows that pursuing justice can have an impact on the ground. Khartoum is paying close attention to what the international community says and does, and the EU must remain firm and keep the pressure on.”
For further information contact:
Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre (Geneva)
Abdelbagi Jibril: +41 22 747 00 89
Darfur Call (The Hague)
Ahmed M. Mohamedain: +31 642 330 058
Association of Darfur People in Belgium (Brussels)
Tajeldin A. Adam: +32 472 372 137
Darfur Peace And Justice (Brussels)
Mohammadain Ishag: +32 485 698 155
Darfuri activists: justice for victims in Darfur cannot wait
Brussels – Reacting to the ICC Prosecutor’s announcement that he has today requested an arrest warrant for Omar al-Bashir, president of Sudan, on charges of genocide, leaders of the Darfuri community in Europe expressed their full support for Ocampo’s work and stressed the importance of the international community’s pursuit of justice for the victims of crimes against humanity in Darfur.
“Our people in Darfur have suffered five years of violence, and no one has been held to account for the terrible crimes committed. We look to the ICC and to the international community to provide justice. The Prosecutor’s announcement today gives us hope that the innocent victims of the conflict in Darfur will not be forgotten, that someday there will be justice for them and dignity for the survivors,” said Ahmed M. Mohamedain, leader of Darfur Call, a Darfuri civil society group based in The Hague.
Darfuri activists have long stressed the importance of pursuing justice while continuing to seek a political resolution to the conflict in Darfur. They have emphasized that the pursuit of justice, far from being incompatible with the peace process, is an important element in moving parties to the conflict away from warfighting in Darfur and towards other solutions.
“Right now, there is no commitment to peace process because everyone is still fighting and committing violent acts, which they know they can do with impunity. If the international community demonstrates that it is serious about justice for the victims in Darfur, it can end this impunity, showing all sides that violence will not be accepted as a solution to Darfur, and showing Darfuri civilians that the world is committed to a fair and just resolution of the conflict,” said Tajeldin A. Adam, leader of the Association of Darfur People in Belgium.
The activists have called especially on the EU to continue to show strong support for the Prosecutor’s work and to insist on Sudanese compliance with the ICC, noting the recent statements from both the Council of Foreign Ministers as well as the European Council (heads of state of the 27 member states) which made clear that the EU will consider further measures against the government of Sudan in the event of continued non-compliance with the ICC.
Abdelbagi Jibril, Executive Director of the Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre, noted: “Those responsible for violence in Darfur are very worried about the ICC. When the case was first referred by the Security Council, there was very little violence in Darfur for nearly six months. This shows that pursuing justice can have an impact on the ground. Khartoum is paying close attention to what the international community says and does, and the EU must remain firm and keep the pressure on.”
For further information contact:
Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre (Geneva)
Abdelbagi Jibril: +41 22 747 00 89
Darfur Call (The Hague)
Ahmed M. Mohamedain: +31 642 330 058
Association of Darfur People in Belgium (Brussels)
Tajeldin A. Adam: +32 472 372 137
Darfur Peace And Justice (Brussels)
Mohammadain Ishag: +32 485 698 155
Monday, July 14, 2008
ICC Prosecutor presents case against Sudanese President, Hassan Ahmad AL BASHIR, for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur.
Situation: Darfur, Sudan
ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has presented evidence today showing that Sudanese President, Omar Hassan Ahmad AL BASHIR committed the crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur.
Three years after the Security Council requested him to investigate in Darfur, and based on the evidence collected, the Prosecutor has concluded there are reasonable grounds to believe that Omar Hassan Ahmad AL BASHIR bears criminal responsibility in relation to 10 counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The Prosecution evidence shows that Al Bashir masterminded and implemented a plan to destroy in substantial part the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa groups, on account of their ethnicity. Members of the three groups, historically influential in Darfur, were challenging the marginalization of the province; they engaged in a rebellion. AL BASHIR failed to defeat the armed movements, so he went after the people. “His motives were largely political. His alibi was a ‘counterinsurgency.’ His intent was genocide. ” The Prosecutor said.
For over 5 years, armed forces and the Militia/Janjaweed, on AL BASHIR orders, have attacked and destroyed villages. They then pursued the survivors in the desert. Those who reached the camps for the displaced people were subjected to conditions calculated to bring about their destruction. AL BASHIR obstructs international assistance. His forces surround the camps. One victim said: “When we see them, we run. Some of us succeed in getting away, and some are caught and taken to be raped -- gang-raped. Maybe around 20 men rape one woman. […] These things are normal for us here in Darfur. These things happen all the time. I have seen rapes too. It does not matter who sees them raping the women -- they don't care. They rape girls in front of their mothers and fathers”.
For over 5 years, millions of civilians have been uprooted from lands they occupied for centuries, all their means of survival destroyed, their land spoliated and inhabited by new settlers. ‘In the camps AL BASHIR’s forces kill the men and rape the women. He wants to end the history of the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa people’ said the Prosecutor. ‘I don’t have the luxury to look away. I have evidence’. Read more >>>>>>>>>>
ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has presented evidence today showing that Sudanese President, Omar Hassan Ahmad AL BASHIR committed the crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur.
Three years after the Security Council requested him to investigate in Darfur, and based on the evidence collected, the Prosecutor has concluded there are reasonable grounds to believe that Omar Hassan Ahmad AL BASHIR bears criminal responsibility in relation to 10 counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The Prosecution evidence shows that Al Bashir masterminded and implemented a plan to destroy in substantial part the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa groups, on account of their ethnicity. Members of the three groups, historically influential in Darfur, were challenging the marginalization of the province; they engaged in a rebellion. AL BASHIR failed to defeat the armed movements, so he went after the people. “His motives were largely political. His alibi was a ‘counterinsurgency.’ His intent was genocide. ” The Prosecutor said.
For over 5 years, armed forces and the Militia/Janjaweed, on AL BASHIR orders, have attacked and destroyed villages. They then pursued the survivors in the desert. Those who reached the camps for the displaced people were subjected to conditions calculated to bring about their destruction. AL BASHIR obstructs international assistance. His forces surround the camps. One victim said: “When we see them, we run. Some of us succeed in getting away, and some are caught and taken to be raped -- gang-raped. Maybe around 20 men rape one woman. […] These things are normal for us here in Darfur. These things happen all the time. I have seen rapes too. It does not matter who sees them raping the women -- they don't care. They rape girls in front of their mothers and fathers”.
For over 5 years, millions of civilians have been uprooted from lands they occupied for centuries, all their means of survival destroyed, their land spoliated and inhabited by new settlers. ‘In the camps AL BASHIR’s forces kill the men and rape the women. He wants to end the history of the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa people’ said the Prosecutor. ‘I don’t have the luxury to look away. I have evidence’. Read more >>>>>>>>>>
Sunday, July 13, 2008
ICC Prosecutor to present second case to the Judges in the Darfur situation on 14 July
Darfur, Sudan
On Monday 14 July, Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo will submit to the Judges of Pre-Trial Chamber I his evidence on crimes committed in the whole of Darfur over the last five years. The filing will be public and a summary there of will be made available. After submitting the filing to the Judges the Prosecutor will brief the press together with Deputy Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda.
Please note the following schedule of press events:
13:00 - Press Conference, ICC Media Centre. The Prosecutor and the Deputy Prosecutor will summarise the evidence, the crimes and name individual(s) charged.
**All hours noted refer to local time in The Hague.
Practical Information for the Media
Media Accreditation
All those wishing to attend the press conference are kindly requested to confirm attendance via email to PublicAffairs.Unit@icc-cpi.int by Friday, 11 July at 17h00. Read more >>>>
On Monday 14 July, Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo will submit to the Judges of Pre-Trial Chamber I his evidence on crimes committed in the whole of Darfur over the last five years. The filing will be public and a summary there of will be made available. After submitting the filing to the Judges the Prosecutor will brief the press together with Deputy Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda.
Please note the following schedule of press events:
13:00 - Press Conference, ICC Media Centre. The Prosecutor and the Deputy Prosecutor will summarise the evidence, the crimes and name individual(s) charged.
**All hours noted refer to local time in The Hague.
Practical Information for the Media
Media Accreditation
All those wishing to attend the press conference are kindly requested to confirm attendance via email to PublicAffairs.Unit@icc-cpi.int by Friday, 11 July at 17h00. Read more >>>>
China 'fuelling war in Darfur'
China is providing Sudan with military assistance in the troubled Darfur region, A BBC Panorama investigation suggests.
The UN has imposed an arms embargo against Sudan which requires nations like China to stop their military equipment from going to Darfur. Hilary Andersson reports from Darfur.
Panorama: China's Secret War will be on BBC One at 2030 BST on Monday 14 July 2008.
The UN has imposed an arms embargo against Sudan which requires nations like China to stop their military equipment from going to Darfur. Hilary Andersson reports from Darfur.
Panorama: China's Secret War will be on BBC One at 2030 BST on Monday 14 July 2008.
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