ICC - Prosecutor briefs UN Security Council, calls for the arrest of Ahmed Harun and Ali Kushayb for crimes in Darfur
Press Release
Prosecutor briefs UN Security Council, calls for the arrest of Ahmed Harun and Ali Kushayb for crimes in Darfur
ICC-OTP-PR-20070607-222 عربي
Today in NewYork, ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo told the United Nations Security Council that alleged Darfur war criminals Ahmad Harun and Ali Kushayb must be arrested. “The Security Council and regional organizations must take the lead in calling on the Sudan as the territorial State to arrest the two individuals and ensure their appearance in Court. And we count on every state to execute an arrest should either of these individuals enter their territory,” the Prosecutor said.
The Security Council referred the Darfur situation to the Prosecutor and in doing so required the Government of the Sudan and all other parties to the conflict to cooperate with the ICC.
In his statement to the Council, Prosecutor Moreno-Ocampo pointed out that Ahmad Harun is the Sudanese Minister responsible for providing humanitarian assistance to more than four million people in Darfur. “This is the same man who, in 2003, at a public meeting, declared that in being appointed to the Darfur security desk, he had been ‘given all the power and authority to kill or forgive whoever in Darfur for the sake of peace and security,’” the Prosecutor told the Council.
“It is of particular concern to my Office that an individual sought by the Court for atrocities committed against the civilian population, atrocities which forced their displacement to IDP camps, is still today the Minister of State for Humanitarian affairs of the Sudan with the power to monitor and affect these vulnerable people, and the international personnel helping them. I ask the UNSC to address this unacceptable situation.”
Evidence collected by the Office of the Prosecutor and presented to the ICC judges on February 27th shows Ahmad Harun and Ali Kushayb joining together to systematically pursue and attack innocent civilians. In his former position as Minister of State for the Interior and head of the Darfur security desk, Ahmad Harun organised a system through which he recruited, funded and armed Militia/Janjaweed to supplement the Sudanese Armed Forces and then incited them to commit murder, rape, and other massive crimes against the civilian population. He was well-suited for the task, having mobilised and recruited Militia in Kordofan, South Sudan, for a counterinsurgency campaign in the 1990s. Militia/Janjaweed leader Ali Kushayb played a key role in Harun’s system, personally delivering arms and leading attacks against villages.
Together, Ahmad Harun and Ali Kushayb are allegedly responsible for 51 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. On April 27th a panel of three pre-trial judges at the International Criminal Court issued warrants for their arrest.
The Prosecutor told the Security Council that the situation in Darfur “remains alarming,” and that his Office is gathering information about current crimes committed in Darfur and also in Chad and the Central African Republic, which are both States Parties to the Rome Statute.
The Prosecutor mentioned allegations of “indiscriminate and disproportionate” air strikes by the Government of the Sudan between January and April of this year, with some villages being bombarded for as long as 10 days. The Prosecutor noted continuing reports of women being raped if they venture outside the IDP camps. He also emphasized allegations of crimes committed by rebel forces, including well-documented attacks against international peacekeepers and aid workers. Between early February and early May, 11 African Union peacekeepers and police officers lost their lives and five were seriously wounded. Numerous aid workers have been assaulted and beaten, their vehicles hijacked.
“From the information gathered, it appears that the parties to the conflict continue to violate international humanitarian law,” Prosecutor Moreno-Ocampo said. “The Office reiterates that those bearing the greatest responsibility must be brought to justice.”
The document outlining the Prosecution’s evidence against Ahmad Harun and Ali Kushayb and the Pre-Trial Chamber’s subsequent decision to issue arrest warrants are available at http://www.icc-cpi.int.
For more information, please contact:
OTP Media Liaison Florence Olara (English)
[email protected]
+31 (0) 70 515 8723 (office)
+31 (0) 6 5029 4476 (mobile)
OTP Media Liaison Suzan Khan (Arabic)
[email protected]
+31 (0) 70 515 9239 (office)
+31 (0) 6 46 44 87 89 (mobile)
Source: Office of the Prosecutor