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Darfur: More Information on Moreno-Ocampo's Presentation before the UNSC; New UN Report on Darfur; Sudanese Ambassador to UN accused France of being 'an obstacle to peace'; Prominent UK Lawyers Open Letter to Brown; Rebel Leaders

07 Dec 2007

Dear all,

Please find below information on recent developments related to the
international Criminal Court's investigation in Darfur, Sudan.

This digest includes articles on Moreno-Ocampo’s presentation before the
Security Council on his activities in Darfur; information on a new UN
report, noting Khartoum’s unwillingness to cooperate with the ICC; Sudan’s
UN Ambassador Mr. Abdel-Mahmood Mohamad, after the ICC Prosecutor’s
briefing, accused France of being ‘an obstacle to peace in Darfur’; a call
for cooperation from prominent British lawyers in an open letter to UK’s
Primer Minister Brown; Sudanese rebel leaders expressed support to the ICC
in Darfur; and editorials.

Note that on 5 December 2007 the Prosecutor of the International Criminal
Court Mr. Luis Moreno-Ocampo addressed the United Nations Security Council
on the Court’s investigation in Darfur in his final report to the Council
this year.

Please take note of the Coalition's policy on situations before the ICC
(below), which explicitly states that the CICC will not take a position on
potential and current situations before the Court or situations under
analysis. The Coalition, however, will continue to provide the most
up-to-date information about the ICC.

Regards,

Mariana Rodriguez Pareja
CICC Communications
[email protected]

I. PROSECUTOR: LACK OF COOPERATION, MAIN HIGHLIGHT

i. “The ICC denounces lack of cooperation from Khartoum for the crimes
committed in Darfur” (Original in French: “La CPI dénonce la non-coopération
de Khartoum sur les crimes au Darfour,”) Le Monde (France), 5 Dec 2007
http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3212,36-986041@51-947123,0.html

“In its sixth report on the crimes committed in Darfur presented to the
United Nations on Wednesday 5 December 2007, ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno
Ocampo denounces Sudan’s non-cooperation and asks the Security Council to
take note of it. According to him, since the issuance of the two warrants of
arrest by the ICC on April 27, 2007, ‘the government has decided to deny the
crimes, to protect and to promote Ahmed Haroun’ … For the Prosecutor, the
presence of the suspect within the government shows an ‘official tolerance,
even an active support for its crimes’….” (Unofficial translation by CICC)

ii. “ICC prosecutor accuses Sudan of ‘covering up’ Darfur war crimes,”
Sudan Tribune, 6 Dec 2007
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article25057

“The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Luis
Moreno-Ocampo, accused the Sudanese government of systematically targeting
civilians in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region.

‘We are witnessing a calculated, organized campaign by Sudanese officials to
attack individuals and further destroy the social fabric of entire
communities. All information points not to chaotic and isolated acts, but to
a pattern of attacks.’ Ocampo told the UN Security Council (UNSC) today in
his semi-annual briefing.

….. ICC court officials speaking to Sudan Tribune would not confirm or deny
the information but stressed that they are closely monitoring the movements
of the two suspects….”

iii. “New Darfur Probe Targets Sudan Officials,” AP, 6 Dec 2007
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i0uIWDennHCCG6iaXhPgwQfpN_IwD8TBIS203

“The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court announced Wednesday he
was opening an investigation against Sudanese government officials for what
he called systematic attacks on refugee camps in Darfur.

….. Ocampo urged the U.N. Security Council to demand that Sudan hand over
acting humanitarian minister Ahmed Muhammed Harun, who was formerly in
charge of security in Darfur and has been indicted for crimes against
humanity….”

iv. “Prosecutor at war crimes court urges UN to put more pressure on Sudan,”
International Herald Tribune, 5 Dec 2007
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/05/africa/05darfur.php

“The lead prosecutor of the International Criminal Court urged the UN
Security Council on Wednesday to put pressure on Sudan to arrest and
surrender two officials indicted by the tribunal last spring for war crimes
in Darfur.

…. He said the second, Ali Kushayb, a leader of the government-supported
Arab Janjaweed militias, had been detained but then released ‘for lack of
evidence.’

The Janjaweed fighters are held responsible for mounting attacks on black
African villagers in a campaign of ethnic violence that has caused at least
200,000 deaths and driven 2.5 million people from their land…..”

v. “ICC Prosecutor Accuses Sudan of Defying UN,” Voice of America, 5 Dec
2007
http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-12-05-voa79.cfm

“…Briefing the Security Council on his latest report on Sudan, Ocampo says
the Council must remind the Sudanese government of its duty to cooperate
with the Court and arrest the two men. Ocampo says Haroun's appointment in
September as Sudan's lead investigator into human rights abuses in refugee
camps in Darfur is worrisome.

‘The fact that Ahmed Haroun is now the person in charge of safety of 2.5
million persons, when I see these persons under attack so Ahmed Haroun is
not protecting them,’ said Luis Moreno-Ocampo. ‘On the contrary, we have
this year shown a clear pattern of attacking these people. That is an
additional concern for me.’…”

See also:

1. “UN help sought to secure arrest of Darfur war crimes suspects,”
Khaleejtimes, 5 Dec 2007
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2007/D
ecember/theworld_December184.xml&section=theworld&col=

2. “Massive Crimes Continue In Darfur, Says International Criminal Court,”
All Headlines, 6 Dec 2007
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7009371232

3. “Official Urges Arrest of 2 Darfur Suspects,” New York Times, 6 Dec 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/06/world/africa/06darfur.html?ref=world

4. “UN to press Sudan on Darfur force,” BBC News, 6 Dec 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7130144.stm

5. “World court opens two Darfur probes,” LA Times, 6 Dec 2007
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-darfur6dec06,1,6993183.s
tory?coll=la-headlines-world

6. “Darfur - International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Moreno Ocampo
pressed the UN Security Council to demand Sudan’s immediate help in
arresting two officials accused of Darfur war crimes,” The Times
Southafrica, 6 Dec 2007
http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=651791

II. UN REPORT: SUDAN FAILED TO PROTECT CIVILIANS

i. “Sudan failed Darfur civilians – UN report,” The Sowetan, 6 Dec 2007
http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=650862

“Sudan’s government has failed to protect civilians in Darfur from rape,
torture and other forms of violence as required under international law,
says a report by UN investigators.

The document, compiled by UN rights experts and made available this week,
details many incidents of civilians caught up in fighting between government
forces and government-backed militias or rebel groups.

…. The report also faults the government for failing to stop serious human
rights abuses ranging from arbitrary arrest to torture and extra-judicial
execution. It notes with concern Khartoum’s unwillingness to cooperate with
the international criminal court in The Hague….”

III. SUDAN ACCUSES FRANCE

i. “Sudan calls on France to ‘come with clean hands’ in Darfur,” Sudan
Tribune, 6 Dec 2007
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article25059

“A senior Sudanese official today accused the French government of being an
obstacle to peace in Darfur.

‘They [French] are giving us lessons on how to cooperate with ICC. This is
very unfortunate because they have to come with clean hands and they don’t
have those clean hands’ Sudan’s U.N. ambassador Abdel-Mahmood Mohamad told
reporters following a briefing by the prosecutor of the International
Criminal Court (ICC) Luis Moreno-Ocampo.

…. Mohamad accused France of blocking the participation of Sudan Liberation
Movement (SLM) leader, Abdelwahid al-Nur in the peace talks. Al-Nur has been
living in France since 2006.

…’France is withholding the participation of Abdel-Wahid in the peace
process’ the Sudanese envoy said.

Relations between Sudan and France have been strained since the election of
President Nicolas Sarkozy who has taken an increasing role in Darfur
diplomacy. The Sudanese government has been hostile to Western involvement
in the Darfur crisis….”

IV. MORE CALLS FOR COOPERATION FROM PROMINENT LAWYERS IN THE UK

i. “Our responsibility to Darfur,” The Guardian (UK) Open letter, 5 Dec 2007
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/open_letter/2007/12/our_responsibility_t
o_darfur.html

“Gordon Brown must do everything in his power to ensure that those charged
with atrocities are brought to justice at the international criminal court.

Dear Prime Minister,

We write to urge to use your influence within the United Nations Security
Council to ensure that the Council publicly demands the cooperation of the
government of Sudan with the International Criminal Court.

As you will know, despite the warrants for Ahmed Haroun and Ali Kosheib's
arrest being secured in April 2007, both are still at large.

These men are only two amongst many who are implicated in appalling human
rights abuses during the ongoing conflict in Darfur….

…. The UK delegation must build on its work with peers on the Security
Council to use the strongest possible means to demonstrate publicly to the
government of Sudan that their disregard for the ICC will not be allowed to
continue. The Sudanese government is one the world's worst violators of
human rights and the death toll in Darfur - over 200,000 people - testifies
to their utter disregard for life. The ICC was created to bring the
architects of such atrocities to book - the UK Government must make sure it
is able to do so.”

ii. “UK lawyers urge efforts to bring Darfur culprits to ICC,” Sudan
Tribune, 6 Dec 2007
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article25061

“39 leading lawyers have today called on British Prime Minister Gordon Brown
to lead international efforts to bring men suspected of war crimes in Darfur
to justice in the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The signatories to the letter include leading figures in human rights in the
UK, including Helena Kennedy QC, Lord Lester of Herne Hill, Philippe Sands
QC, Professor Conor Gearty (LSE) and representatives the Human Rights
Lawyers’ Association and Bar Human Rights Committee….”

V. SUDAN: REBEL LEADERS EXPRESSED SUPPORT TO THE ICC IN DARFUR

i. “Darfur rebels censure reconciliation attempts with militia leader,”
Sudan Tribune, 6 Dec 2007
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article25060

“Darfur rebel main movements showed dismay at attempts by Sudan People’s
Liberation Movement (SPLM) officials to organise reconciliation meeting
between some of rebel groups and a janjaweed militia leader in Juba.

One of the Darfur Arab leaders, Musa Hilal, who is suspected by the US state
department of being a leader of the Janjaweed militia, said that he had been
invited by a SPLM high ranking official to meet Darfur rebel factions in
Juba but southern Sudan authorities rejected his visit.

….. The SLM leader and JEM spokesperson underlined that Musa Hilal is
suspected of committing crime against humanity and crimes of war which are
now under the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice (ICC). They
stressed that these crimes are imprescriptible ‘with no immunity or
amnesty.’…”

VI. EDITORIALS

1. “A tragedy in 10 questions: Darfur, armed conflict, massacre or genocide?
Who are responsible: Khartoum, janjaweed, China? Is there a way out?
(Original in French: «Une tragedie en 10 questions: Darfour ; Conflit armé,
massacre, ou génocide? Qui sont les responsables: Khartoum, les jenjawids,
la Chine? Y a-t-il une issue? Décryptage »), by AYAD Christophe, 4 December
2007, http://www.liberation.fr/actualite/monde/295735.FR.php?rss=true

“1. Which are the fundamental causes of the war in Darfur? Darfur was a long
time a sultanate independent of Sudan. It is only in 1916 that it is
attached to Sudan anglo-Egyptian, when the English killed the last sultan,
Ali Dinar. From independent kingdom, this immense territory becomes an
outlying area. No more English, until independence in 1956 that the Sudanese
central government did not invest there….” (Informal translation by CICC)

ii. “Oil for Blood: Chinese are unwelcome in Darfur,” By Dr. Mahmoud A.
Suleiman, Sudan Tribune, 5 Dec 2007
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article25047

“…But there is one nightmare that China shouldn’t be allowed to sweep under
the rug. That nightmare is Darfur, where more than 400,000 people have been
killed and more than two-and-a-half million driven from flaming villages by
the Chinese-backed government of Sudan. China is pouring billions of dollars
into Sudan. Beijing purchases an overwhelming part of Sudan’s oil exports
and state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation, an official partner of
the upcoming Olympic Games, owns the largest shares in each of Sudan’s two
major oil consortia. China has been indirectly funding the Sudanese
government’s war effort in Darfur by massively investing in Sudan’s oil
industry.

….. Although China is the only country that can influence or compel General
Omer al-Bashir’s NCP government of Sudan to stop the continuing mass murders
and crimes against humanity, it chose not only to stand by but to support a
government whose senior members may end up in front of the international
criminal court (ICC) for war crimes. The Chinese have so far been unabashed
of their collaboration with the Khartoum regime in the ongoing holocaust in
Darfur….”

**********************************
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