Darfur genocide continues: ICC prosecutor
December 3, 2008
AFP
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UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — The government of Sudan is still supporting genocide in Darfur, including through rape and holding up humanitarian aid, International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said Wednesday.
Genocide continues, ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo told the UN Security Council, accusing Sudan of refusing to cooperate with the court.
Rapes in and around the (refugee) camps continue. Humanitarian assistance is still hindered. More than 5,000 displaced persons die each month, he said.
Moreno-Ocampo urged 15 Security Council member nations to be prepared for the possibility of an ICC-issued warrant for the arrest of Sudan's President Omar al-Beshir.
In July Moreno-Ocampo asked the ICC for an arrest warrant for Beshir on 10 counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
A panel of judges is reviewing the evidence to determine whether there are reasonable grounds to try Beshir. It would be the court's first indictment of a sitting head of state.
The judges will rule shortly on this application, Moreno-Ocampo said. It is time to be prepared for their ruling.
Moreno-Ocampo later told reporters that it is crucial that the Security Council is prepared to ensure the implementation of the ICC's decision.
Moreno-Ocampo claims that Beshir has personally instructed his forces to wipe out three ethnic groups in the western Darfur region, where conflict has been raging since 2003 when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated regime.
UN officials estimate that up to 300,000 people have died in the Sudan conflict and 2.7 million have been forced to flee their homes. Khartoum claims only 10,000 have died.
Some nations friendly to Sudan, including China, believe that a warrant for Beshir's arrest would only make things worse.