YOU CAN'T TRUST A LIAR AND OMAR AL-BASHIR HAS A HISTORY OF LYING
Court probing deadly Darfur camp attack
Originally published 12:30 p.m., September 12, 2008
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."
Al-Bashir is the first sitting head of state to face charges at the first permanent global war crimes court. He has dismissed the allegations as politically motivated and aimed at destabilizing his government.
Sudanese authorities say they have launched an investigation into the Kalma camp killings and Moreno-Ocampo said he has written to Khartoum seeking more details of their case.
According to its statute, the International Criminal Court only has jurisdiction over cases where local authorities cannot or will not prosecute alleged war crimes.
Moreno-Ocampo also said he will release more details Monday of the case against al-Bashir.
So far, the court has released only a 21-page summary of the allegations. On Monday, prosecutors will make public a 120-page document with more detail, although he said it still is heavily redacted to protect the identities of witnesses.
Five years of fighting in Darfur between rebels and militias backed by government troops has killed up to 300,000 people and forced 2.5 million to flee their homes.
As well as the case against al-Bashir, Moreno-Ocampo has called for the arrest of Sudanese Humanitarian Affairs Minister Ahmed Muhammed Harun and a commander in the government-backed janjaweed militia, also for alleged atrocities in Darfur.
Moreno-Ocampo said another Darfur investigation — into a rebel attack that killed 10 African Union peacekeepers in September 2007 — will likely be completed later this year and will be a key test of rebels' commitment to support the court.
"It will be a challenge for the rebel forces to comply," the prosecutor said. "Some of them say 'we are ready to go to court if the court calls us.' OK the time will come, very soon."
Reuters South Africa, South Africa -
By Reed Stevenson and Aaron Gray-Block THE HAGUE, Sept 12 (Reuters) - A decision on an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir is likely ...
The Associated Press -Septemer 12, 2008
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court says he is investigating an attack by Sudanese troops on a refugee ...
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Sudan 'retakes' Darfur rebel strongholds
Aljazeera English
News Article by Aljazeera posted on September 10, 2008 at 22:24:33: EST (-5 GMT)
Source link: www.sudan.net/news
Sudanese government troops have moved in to control rebel strongholds in North Darfur state after two days of heavy fighting, fighters from the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) have said.
The fighters said on Monday that assaults on rebels' positions began on Saturday.
Government and militia forces battled the rebels, backed by attack helicopters and Antonov planes around the North Darfur towns of Disa, Birmaza and Tawila.
"The government are in Disa and Birmaza now," said Ibrahim al-Hillo, a commander from the SLA faction headed by Abdel Wahid Mohammed Nur, an exiled leader.
"There is isolated shooting, but the Antonov planes are overhead many times in the day and they have been bombing," he added, declining to say how many casualties there might be.
Civilians hiding
Fighters from the SLA remained close to the towns but government forces now controlled them, with civilians fleeing into the surrounding desert, he said.
His account could not be independently verified with other sources.
"The civilians have run away into the desert or are hiding in the trees," he added, speaking from close to Disa.
"The situation is very bad. It's raining and the people are suffering very much."
Fighting around Tawila - where rebels reported heavy clashes on Saturday and Sunday - has also ceased, according to field commanders, said Al-Hillo.
Government forces were now encamped there, he said.
There was no response from the military. But in comments made to Sudanese media on Monday, an army spokesman said troops were in control of areas in eastern Jebel Marra, south of Tawila in West Darfur state.
No mention was made of fighting elsewhere.
'General attacks'
The joint African Union-UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur, or Unamid, said reports from North Darfur state indicated the government had launched "general attacks".
Around 120 Land Rovers and trucks carrying "heavily armed" government troops were spotted near Malha, around 180km northeast of the reported fighting at Disa and Birmaza, the force said on Sunday.
Two attack helicopters had landed at Kutum, some 70km south of the two towns, Unamid said in a statement.
The Arab League ministerial council, meanwhile, is to form an Arab ministerial committee to arrange peace talks in Qatar between the Sudanese government and armed groups in Darfur.
Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, will head the committee.
Others on the committee will include Amr Musa, the Arab League secretary general, and Jean Ping, the chairperson of the African Union commission, to head the committee.The UN says up to 300,000 people have died and more than 2.2 million fled their homes since the conflict erupted in February 2003. Sudan says 10,000 have been killed.
The war began when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against the Arab-led Khartoum regime and state-backed Arab militias, fighting for resources and power.
The conflict has since deteriorated with the emergence of a multiplying array of rebel groups, breakaway militia groups and bandits.
News Article by REUTERS posted on September 08, 2008 at 21:53:04: EST (-5 GMT)
Source link: www.sudan.net/news
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - The chairman of the African Union affirmed support for deferring any war crimes indictment against Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir during a visit to Khartoum on Monday.
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has asked judges to issue an arrest warrant for Bashir for war crimes committed in Sudan's western Darfur region.
"Justice has to be done. Justice must be seen to be done. What the AU is simply saying is that what is critical, what is the priority, is peace. That is priority number one now," Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete said, standing beside Bashir.
"We should do the first thing first. On this basis, the AU supports deferral of the indictment," said Kikwete, who currently chairs the regional bloc.
Bashir rejects accusations of war crimes and genocide.
Both the African Union and Arab League have already said they want any indictment put on hold, saying it could obstruct efforts to bring peace to Darfur, where international experts say at least 200,000 people have died as a result of conflict since 2003.
But Kikwete's statement on Monday was one of the most high profile gestures of support to date for the Sudanese president in his efforts to postpone the global court's action.
Kikwete praised the Sudanese government during the press conference at Khartoum's Republican Palace, saying he was impressed by its commitment to protect aid convoys in Darfur, further peace talks with the rebels and accelerate the deployment of international peacekeepers.
His comments came as Sudan stepped up diplomatic efforts to woo members of the United Nations Security Council which has the power to order a recurring one year postponement of a prosecution or investigation by the ICC.
State media on Monday reported that Sudan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs was focusing on building bridges with China, Russia and other African and Asian members of the Security Council to win support for the "Article 16" postponement
Both Russia and China have signaled support for suspending the process, although neither has been willing to take the lead on the issue in the Security Council.
So far the three other permanent members of the Security Council -- France, Britain and the United States -- have remained tight-lipped on whether they would use their veto power to block a suspension.
Darfur rebels took up arms against Khartoum complaining of neglect and discrimination against the region's non-Arab people.
Earlier this week, rebel groups accused Sudanese government forces of attacking a number of their positions in North Darfur.
Aid sources, who asked not to be named, said a "significant number" of people had been forced to flee their homes by the fighting and were now searching for shelter.
Sudan national elections likely to be postponed
News Article by GulfNews posted on September 11, 2008 at 22:52:26: EST (-5 GMT)
Source link: www.sudan.net
Juba (GulfNews) -- National elections in Sudan may be delayed by at least six months, a senior southern official said, a development that could push back other elements of a peace accord between the country's north and south.
Luka Biong, the southern Minister for Presidential Affairs, said it would not be feasible to hold the elections before the agreed cut-off point of July 2009 because of heavy rains and logistical problems.
Vital element
Sudan's first democratic polls in 23 years are a vital element of the 2005 peace accord that ended more than two decades of conflict. It gave the south its own semi-autonomous government and promised political reform in Africa's largest country.
Any serious hold-up in the poll could undermine public confidence in the accord and delay parts of it, analysts said. "Practically, it won't be feasible to have them by July," Biong said.
His party, the south's Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), was considering calling a meeting with the northern National Congress Party to arrange a change in the date.
"We have a lot of reasons why it should be extended to the end of the year but this is subject to the approval of the two parties," he said. Torrential rains that normally fall around July could disrupt the polling process, Biong said.
More time was also needed to set up civic education sessions to prepare the public. There had also been delays in appointing the members of a National Electoral Commission.Remember the Darfuri people
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ACTION: Tell Presidential Candidates to Support ICC
On September 10th the government of Sudan launched new attacks on ZamZam Camp for internally displaced persons. Many of those who were injured and killed were already forced to flee their homes one, two or three times. This attack comes a week after an attack on Kalma Camp by government troops. This violence is unacceptable. Our leadership has not done enough to end this violence. We need to build the political will to move our leaders to action.
When we speak to refugees in the camps, they tell us that peace will not come before justice.
The candidates have spoken out on Darfur, but they have yet to stand behind the ICC case against Sudan’s Presidnet al-Bashir. This case will begin the process of justice and reconciliation for Darfuris who have suffered, and continue to suffer every day. The Kalma Massacre, recent attcks on ZamZam Camp, and al-Bashir’s threats against humanitarian aid workers are war crimes. We cannot allow his threats and military action in Darfur to continue as we stand by. Violence has led to yet another NGO pull out leaving 1/2 million people without aid and another attack on World Food Program envoy may push them to also pull out, leaving millions without assistance. The next President must be prepared to uphold justice and bring peace to the region today not tomorrow. The first step is for both Obama and McCain to support the ICC case.
Send Presidential candidates McCain and Obama messages asking them to support ICC case by CLICKING HERE
Labels: complicity, Crime, CRIMINAL, Darfur, GENOCIDE WILL STOP WHEN WE HAVE THE WILL, ICC, ilovemylife, Janjaweed, Omar al-Bashir, Sandra Hammel, Sudan
posted by ilovemylife @ 9:07 PM
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