Ms. Fatou Bensouda, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (credit: UN News) 

By Gary Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

UNITED  NATIONS  –   NEW  YORK  – The international community must stay focused on achieving justice and peace for the people of Darfur, the outgoing Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) told the UN Security Council on Wednesday.  ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda called on the Security Council  to press Sudan to do more to bring other indicted persons – including ex-president Omar Al-Bashir – to justice. In her final briefing to ambassadors,  Bensouda underlined that the Court is the only institution that promised hope to victims of the brutal conflict in the Sudanese province.

“When this Council referred the Darfur situation to the ICC in March 2005, it brought hope to victims of atrocity crimes in Darfur by sending a clear message that justice was not only important in its own right but also with a multiplier effect in achieving sustainable peace in Darfur. The clear and consistent message I received from Darfur victims in El Fasher, Nyala and Zalingei is that the four outstanding warrants must be executed and that suspects must be handed over to the ICC. “

-ICC Prosecutor Fatou  Bensouda 

The ICC investigations centre around allegations of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, committed during fighting which began two years earlier between Government forces, backed by allied militia known as janjaweed, and Darfur rebel movements.  Five arrest warrants were issued, including against President Omar Al-Bashir who was deposed in a 2019 after 30 years in power.    Alleged former janjaweed commander Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, also known as “Ali Kushayb”, voluntarily surrendered himself to the ICC in June 2020 and his confirmation of charges was held last month.

Fatou  stressed  the Court’s importance to the international community as she prepares to step down as as ICC prosecutor  this week. 

“I often state that the creation of the ICC must surely be one of humanity’s proudest moments. It is, because it represents an awakening rooted in great human suffering throughout the ages, culminating in the recognition that lawless wars and conflict must no longer receive a pass to cause human carnage.”