The International Criminal Court (ICC) today issued an arrest warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the strife-torn Darfur region by Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir.
In an early reaction, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pledged that the United Nations’ extensive humanitarian and peacekeeping operations in Sudan will continue, stressing the ICC’s status as an “independent judicial institution,” in a statement issued by his spokesperson.
Mr. Al-Bashir was indicted on two counts of war crimes and five counts of crimes against humanity. However, the Hague-based ICC’s pre-trial chamber found there was insufficient evidence to charge him with genocide, but stressed that if the prosecution presents additional evidence the warrant could be amended at a later date.
An estimated 300,000 people have died in Darfur, either through direct combat or because of disease, malnutrition or reduced life expectancy, over the past five years in Darfur, where rebels have been fighting Government forces and allied Arab militiamen, known as the Janjaweed, since 2003.
Læs mere: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30081&Cr=darfur&Cr1=icc
