ICC's Outreach Programme is active in Uganda, DR Congo, CAR and Darfur (Sudan)

Currently, the International Criminal Court (ICC) Outreach Programme is active in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic and Darfur (Sudan).

The programme promotes access to and understanding of judicial proceedings and fosters realistic expectations about the court's work.

This in turn has engendered greater local community participation by addressing their concerns and countering misperceptions.

Full story at Congo Watch, Wednesday, November 25, 2009 - ICC's Outreach Programme is active in Uganda, DR Congo, CAR and Darfur (Sudan).

Cross-posted to Uganda Watch.

UN says children in Sudan will no longer be sentenced to death

Untitled report by Sudan Radio Service, November 23, 2009:

(Khartoum) - The United Nations says the Government of National Unity has announced that children will no longer be sentenced to death.

Addressing a press conference in Khartoum on Sunday at the end of her visit to Sudan, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Madam Radhika Coomaraswamy, said she was assured by the GONU Ministry of Justice that children in Sudan will not be executed for crimes which carry the death penalty.

[Radhika Coomaraswamy]: “We were also concerned about the protection of children in the recent inter-tribal conflicts in the south and also issues related to capital punishment and the death penalty for children. Finally, we got a commitment today from the Ministry of Justice that there will be no execution of children. I am announcing it because he made it very clear and if we can prove that these were children, especially in the Justice and Equality Movement, there will be no executions. With regard to inter-tribal conflict you know that 370 children have been abducted over the last few months. We were told this is a practice associated with cattle raiding and because of the presence of small arms there has been terrible bloodshed."

Madam Coomaraswamy said the GONU Justice Minister, Abdul–Basit Sabdarat Saleh told her that the six child soldiers who were arrested during the Justice and Equality Movement’s attack on Omdurman on 10th May last year and who are currently on death row, will not be executed.

[Radhika Coomaraswamy]: “We have six I think who were from JEM on death row. Now the issue is that the government claims that the military tribunal has found that four of them were not children but the assessment of the international agencies is that they are children, so there is this issue. But I was assured today by the Minister of Justice that they will not be executed. So I hope that will be true, we hope that this commitment will be kept. Secondly, with regard to the recruitment policy of the Sudan Armed Forces, there is no active recruitment from the top level, but there are child soldiers in the region, especially in Darfur. We have some data showing that there are children that have not been recruited but have been present in the camps in Darfur. That is why we are having a dialogue with them, with a possibility of drawing up an action plan as well. With regards to JEM, we have information that they are recruiting. In fact, we have data that everyone is continuing to recruit but not as much as they were doing at the time of the war.”

Madam Coomaraswamy said there are still large numbers of children fighting with armed groups in Sudan, saying that she had received statements indicating that these groups recruited child soldiers between September 1, 2008 to September 30, 2009.

Sudanese president pardons children involved in JEM raid on Omdurman

President Omar Al-Bashir issued a decree yesterday granting amnesty to the ten minors still being held by authorities in connection to the JEM raid on Omdurman, Al-Rai Al-Aam reports. Sources say that the President has ordered their immediate release. Source: [find link and date]

Related report
July 16, 2009 Sudan Watch - S.O.S. to Sudanese President Al-Bashir, Red Cross & Save the Children: 12 unpardoned Sudanese child soldiers being held in appalling conditions

JEM frees 60 police officers, troops

Thanks to The New York Times for its daily links to Sudan Watch.  Here below is a copy of today's links from its page on Sudan. Note that 12 child soldiers are in desperate need of help.  If anyone has news of the children, please email me or leave a comment at Sudan Watch or contact Sudan Radio Service.

Also, here below is some good news from the Red Cross that JEM has freed 55 Sudan Armed Forces soldiers and five policemen.   Here's hoping that the Red Cross is in contact with the 12 children.

From The New York Times:

Headlines Around the Web

What's This?

SUDAN WATCH

JULY 16, 2009

S.O.S. to Sudanese President Al-Bashir, Red Cross Save the Children: 12 unpardoned Sudanese child soldiers being held in appalling conditions

THE SEATTLE TIMES

JULY 15, 2009

Fidelity holders reject 'genocide-free' proposal

MEMRI LATEST BLOGS

JULY 15, 2009

Ire In Sudan Over Obama's Statements On Darfur

FEMINISTING

JULY 14, 2009

What We Missed.

CBSNEWS.COM

JULY 14, 2009

Sudan Criticizes Obama For Calling Darfur Genocide

More at Blogrunner »
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JEM has freed 60 police officers, troops

The International Committee of the Red Cross told Reuters on Saturday that the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) had handed over the captives to Red Cross officials. The freed hostages are now with the Sudanese authorities in Darfur.

"JEM has released 55 Sudan Armed Forces soldiers and five policemen," Reuters quoted Red Cross spokesman Saleh Dabbakeh as saying.



File photo shows JEM fighters driving in an unknown location in Darfur. (Press TV)

Source: Press TV, Sat, 18 Jul 2009 - Darfur rebels free 60 police officers, troops
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UPDATE on Sunday 19 July 2009: See report by James Copnall, BBC News, Khartoum, 19:43 GMT, Saturday, 18 July 2009 20:43 UK - Darfur rebels free Sudan troops - excerpt:

They were released by the Justice and Equality Movement (Jem) to the ICRC, and then handed over to the Sudanese authorities in Kutum, in North Darfur.

The handover is one of the biggest since the bitter conflict in Darfur began in 2003.

A spokesman for the group said most of the prisoners were taken in clashes between Jem troops and government forces in the north-east of Darfur earlier this year.

The spokesman said his movement had decided to release the men as a gesture of goodwill. He said Jem still holds lots of prisoners, but refused to say how many.

The Sudanese government was not immediately available for comment.

S.O.S. to Sudanese President Al-Bashir, Red Cross & Save the Children: 12 unpardoned Sudanese child soldiers being held in appalling conditions

More sad news from Sudan Radio Service, Thursday, 16 July 2009:
No Pardon for Captive JEM Children

(Khartoum) – The lawyer of children accused of taking part in the Justice and Equality Movement attack on Omdurman last year says they are being held in appalling conditions.

Adam Bakur told Sudan Radio Service that social welfare and child rights activists, NGOs and government officials, have failed to come to the aid of the twelve captured children.

[Adam Bakur]: “Their situation is not good. They need a lot of things; they are not eating good food; even such things as toothbrushes are not given to them. We the defense lawyers, are struggling to help them by contributing money from own pockets. No one is supporting us and this has made some of our lawyers drop the case.”

Adam Bakur added that they have been wondering why the President’s pardon for all the children accused of participating in the attack was not applied to them.

[Adam Bakur]: “Since the children's court case began, we applied for their release in accordance with Presidential decree number 211, section 2. It provides a pardon for all of the children involved in the Omdurman incident. But there was a mistake in the list of the children and these particular kids were in detention alongside the adults and their names were not added for the presidential pardon.”

Bakur is accusing the prosecution of not presenting the right documents and he says the courts are also dragging their feet on the cases. He said that since the first hearing, the sittings have been constantly postponed. The first hearing of the children’s case began after the sentencing of the adult JEM members in June.

Ninety-one JEM fighters have been sentenced to death for their part in the Omdurman attack.