27 Feb 07 – The Aegis Trust welcomes the ICC’s indictments today of Ahmad Harun, Sudan’s State Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and formerly State Minister of the Interior, and Ali Kushayb, one of the leaders of the Janjaweed, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.
“The indictment of Harun is particularly significant since his department controls NGO and media access to Darfur,” says Dr James Smith, Chief Executive of the Aegis Trust. “That a man suspected of a key role in orchestrating crimes against humanity in Darfur is now the man deciding who will be allowed to do what to alleviate the resulting suffering is the height of cynicism. It shows that the Government of Sudan is not serious about helping Darfur’s displaced millions. It’s time for the international community to stop giving Sudan the benefit of the doubt and start implementing steps to ensure effective protection of Darfur’s persecuted Africans.”
Four-point recommendation
The Aegis Trust is calling for:
1) The United Nations Security Council to set a deadline for Sudan to hand over the suspects or face international sanctions
2) States to arrest any suspected war criminals travelling into their jurisdiction – including government officials; there should be no immunity, even for heads of state – regardless of whetehr they are signatories of the Rome Statute
3) The UN Security Council to introduce targeted sanctions (asset freezes and travel bans) against all suspects and those who support them.
