Credit: UN Photo/Loey Felipe /  Fatou Bensouda, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, briefs the Security Council on the situation in Sudan and South Sudan at UN world headquarters New York 19 June 2019. 

By Gary Raynaldo      DIPLOMATIC TIMES

UNITED NATIONS   –    North-east  African nation Sudan has descended into a state of chaos since the military overthrew long-time authoritarian President Omar al-Bashir on April 11, 2019. Instead of the promised democracy, the Sudanese people has seen their country subjected to rape, pillage and murder. Sudan’s capital Khartoum has been on lock down since early June as paramilitary groups dismantle the many sit-in protest sites that have sprouted as Sudanese people call for an end to the military-led government. Dozens of civilians have been killed, including 19 children.  Fatou Bensouda, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, briefed the Security Council Wednesday on the situation in Sudan and South Sudan.   “As Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, I am deeply concerned by reports of recent violence perpetrated against civilians, including alleged sexual and gender-based crimes. Related violence has also spread to other regions of the country, including in Darfur, Sudan,” Bensouda stated.

“Now is the time to act. Now is the time for the people of Sudan to choose law over impunity and ensure that the ICC suspects in the Darfur situation finally face justice in a court of law. Now the Council has also been presented with a unique opportunity to decisively and effectively address the impunity that has plagued Darfur. It must seize this moment.”

-Fatou Bensouda,  Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court

Sudan Ex-Leader  al-Bashir Is Wanted By The ICC On Charges Of Crimes Against Humanity And Genocide 

credit: Wikipedia Commons / Former Sudan president Omar Al-Bashir

 “All five ICC arrest warrants in the Darfur situation remain in force; however, the circumstances have changed dramatically. The former status quo is over. Mr Omar Al Bashir has been deposed, arrested, detained and charged with domestic offenses. Two other suspects in the Darfur situation, Messrs Abdel Raheem Hussein and Ahmad Harun are also reportedly detained in Khartoum. Sudan remains under a legal obligation to transfer these suspects to the ICC to stand trial, unless it can demonstrate to the Judges of the International Criminal Court that it is willing and able to genuinely prosecute them for the same cases.”

Fatou Bensouda,  Prosecutor of the Hague-Based  ICC 

Besouda said she is ready to engage in dialogue with the authorities in Sudan to ensure that the Darfur suspects face independent and impartial justice, either in a courtroom in The Hague, or in Sudan.  “Continued impunity is not an option. The victims of the Darfur situation deserve to finally have their day in court.”