ICC: There are grounds to believe Sudan’s warring sides are committing crimes in Darfur (Edith Lederer)

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: A 2-week deadline set by IGAD for Messrs Burhan and Hemeti to meet has passed. It is easy to understand why Gen Burhan has refused meetings. Even if Hemeti agrees to make his fighters leave Khartoum, he and his words cannot be trusted. He should be jailed. Meanwhile: ICC prosecutor says there are grounds to believe Sudan’s warring sides are committing crimes in Darfur; Sudan leaves regional bloc IGAD over attempt to end war; The US offers reward for arrest of ex-minister accused of Darfur war crimes. More in three reports here below.

 

From Associated Press (AP)
BY EDITH M. LEDERER
Updated 12:02 AM GMT, January 30, 2024 - here is a copy in full:

ICC prosecutor: There are grounds to believe Sudan’s warring sides are committing crimes in Darfur

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The International Criminal Court’s prosecutor told the U.N. Security Council Monday his “clear finding” is that there are grounds to believe both Sudan’s armed forces and paramilitary rivals are committing crimes in the western Darfur region during the country’s current conflict.

Karim Khan, who recently visited neighboring Chad where tens of thousands of people from Darfur have fled, warned that those he met in refugee camps fear Darfur will become “the forgotten atrocity.” He urged Sudan’s government to provide his investigators with multiple-entry visas and respond to 35 requests for assistance.

Sudan plunged into chaos last April when long-simmering tensions between the military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary, commanded by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, erupted into street battles in the capital, Khartoum, and other areas.

Darfur, which was wracked by bloodshed and atrocities in 2003, has been an epicenter of the current conflict, an arena of ethnic violence where paramilitary troops and allied Arab militias have been attacking African ethnic groups.

The fighting has displaced over 7 million people and killed 12,000, according to the United Nations. Local doctors’ groups and activists say the true death toll is far higher.

In 2005, the Security Council referred the situation in Darfur to the ICC, and prosecutor Khan has said the court still has a mandate under that resolution to investigate crimes in the vast region.

He told the council: “Based on the work of my office, it’s my clear finding, my clear assessment, that there are grounds to believe that presently Rome Statute crimes are being committed in Darfur by both the Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces and affiliated groups.”

The Rome Statute established the ICC in 2002 to investigate the world’s worst atrocities — war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide — and the crime of aggression.

In Darfur, Khan warned, the world is confronted with “an ugly and inescapable truth” relating back to the original conflict.

“The failure of the international community to execute the warrants that have been issued by independent judges of the ICC has invigorated the climate of impunity and the outbreak of violence that commenced in April that continues today,” he said.

“Without justice for past atrocities, the inescapable truth is that we condemn the current generation, and if we do nothing now, we condemn future generations to suffering the same fate,” Khan said.

Sudan’s U.N. Ambassador Al-Harith Mohamed countered that the government has cooperated with the prosecutor’s office and is waiting for a visit from him. He accused the ICC of not taking into consideration its “strategic engagement and the operational realities on the ground.”

Mohamed called the Rapid Support Forces a “militia” and accused it of committing wide-scale, systematic attacks which aim “to force ethnic cleansing and identity killing” of Darfur’s Masalit ethnic community. He said it’s up to the prosecutor to determine if this amounts to genocide.

The Sudanese ambassador said the armed forces don’t call for war but are compelled to defend the country, stressing that soldiers spare no effort to minimize collateral damage and comply with the laws of war including proportionality.

The 2003 Darfur conflict began when rebels from the territory’s ethnic sub-Saharan African community launched an insurgency accusing the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum of discrimination and neglect.

The government, under then President Omar al-Bashir, responded with aerial bombings and unleashed local nomadic Arab militias known as the Janjaweed, who are accused of mass killings and rapes. Up to 300,000 people were killed and 2.7 million were driven from their homes.

Khan told the council Monday it was “quite stunning” in visiting different refugee camps in Chad that people who lived through the Darfur confllict from 2003 told him spontaneously that what is happening today “is the worst ever.”

“And they’re very grateful to the council for casting a lifeboat on the high seas for them to clamber aboard,” the prosecutor said. “They want justice and they see the ICC is a very important vehicle to ensure that they’re not forgotten, or they drown unseen and unheard.”

Last April, the first ICC trial to deal with atrocities by Sudanese government-backed forces in Darfur began in The Hague, Netherlands. The defendant, Janjaweed leader Ali Muhammad Ali Abd–Al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, pleaded innocent to all 31 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Khan urged the parties to the ongoing conflict to respond “meaningfully” to requests for assistance from Abd-Al-Rahman’s defense team.

The prosecutor said he was pleased to report to the council that there has been “progress” in the ICC cases against former president al-Bashir and two senior government security officials during the 2003 Darfur conflict, Abdel-Rahim Muhammad Hussein and Ahmed Haroun.

“We’ve received evidence that further strengthens those particular cases,” Khan said. The three have never been turned over to the ICC, and their whereabouts during the current conflict in Sudan remain unknown.

View original: https://apnews.com/article/un-icc-sudan-military-paramilitary-darfur-crimes-a782e1376ab91a2f7b9dcbd276d379f9

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Related

Report at BBC News UK

Dated 20 January 2024

Igad: Sudan leaves regional bloc over attempt to end war

Sudan is suspending its membership of north-east African bloc Igad over an attempt to mediate the brutal conflict in the country. Igad has been trying to end the nine month-long war between Sudan's army and rival paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). On Thursday Sudan's government criticised Igad for inviting the RSF's chief to a summit.

Full story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-68041134

Report at Sudan Tribune

Dated 29 January 2024

U.S. offers reward for arrest of ex-minister accused of Darfur war crimes

The United States Department of State has announced a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest of Sudan’s former Minister of State for the Interior, Ahmad Mohammad Harun, who is accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. The State Department’s designation of Harun under the War Crimes Rewards Program is a significant step towards bringing him to justice for his alleged crimes. The program has a proven track record of success, having helped to bring over 20 war criminals to justice. Harun, who has been wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) since 2007, is accused of mobilizing, funding, and arming the Janjaweed militia, a notorious group responsible for widespread atrocities in Darfur.

Full story: https://sudantribune.com/article281808/

END

‘No diplomatic end to Sudan’s war in sight' -Baldo

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: Peace meetings between Messrs Burhan and Hemeti could happen as soon as Hemeti makes his fighters leave Khartoum and move out of the residential homes and properties they've commandeered in Khartoum. It's as simple as that. Once that happens, Gen. Burhan said (many times) he will attend ceasefire and peace talks. The fact that none of it has happened proves Hemeti is not genuine in wanting peace and security for the people of Sudan. He wants Sudan and what's left of it by the time he's hauled off to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

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From Radio Dabanga
Dated Friday, 12 January 2024; 18:00 NEW YORK - here is a copy in full:

‘No diplomatic end to Sudan’s war in sight,’ warns Suliman Baldo

Map of Sudan showing areas under SAF (in red) and RSF (in yellow) control as of December 21, 2023 (Source: @ThomasVLinge via X)

As the war between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) soon enters its ninth month, there remains no tangible end in sight to the widespread suffering endured by the country and its people. That is despite a flurry of diplomatic mediation efforts, says prominent Sudanese researcher Suliman Baldo.

In his analysis ‘Sudan’s Interminable War, published by the International Centre for Dialogue Initiatives on Tuesday, conflict resolution expert Suliman Baldo* observes that while both the SAF and the RSF “initially believed they would crush the other in days”, the conflict has dragged on into “multiple localised ethnically driven clashes beyond either party’s control”.

On the ground, the RSF has succeeded in expanding its territorial control in Darfur, Kordofan, and Khartoum, while SAF remains in control of northern, central, and eastern regions, including de-facto administrative capital Port Sudan. In December, an RSF offensive “wrestled the central Gezira state from the army’s control and threatened its presence in the White Nile and Sennar states”.

The war unmasked SAF’s ineptitude, Baldo asserts, “as its senior commanders became too steeped in grand corruption practices to pay attention to the decay of SAF as a fighting force”.

Their adversary, the RSF, is “ethnically aligned, with plunder as the main motivation of its fighters”. The paramilitary force “proved incapable of providing for the population” in El Gezira after it took over the former safe haven for those who fled Khartoum and El Obeid in the early days of the war.

At the end of December, the Wad Madani Resistance Committees lamented the deterioration of security, health and humanitarian conditions in El Gezira, continued attacks by the RSF, the lack of functional hospitals, and the ongoing waves of displacement in the state.

The region is divided over Sudan. Sudanese policy analyst Kholood Khair and civil society activist Asmahan Akam wrote in Time magazine in December that “Egypt, Iran, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia support the SAF while the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a UN Security Council member, backs the RSF in seeming violation of the body’s own arms embargo on Darfur, first enacted in 2004 and just renewed (with a yes vote from the UAE) in March 2023”.

‘No tangible solution’

The SAF, with junta leader Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan at its head, conditions a ceasefire on the RSF evacuating private and residential areas. Baldo explains that this is most likely to be rejected by the latter, as it maintains a tactical advantage in doing so, especially in Khartoum where it continues to lay siege to several SAF command stations.

Whilst ongoing conflict threatens SAF’s collapse, Baldo believes, “a traffic jam of diplomatic initiatives” has yet to bring forth any sustainable nor tangible end to the conflict.

The Jeddah talks, facilitated by the US and Saudi Arabia, stalled due to belligerents’ failures to honour commitments. The United Nations (UN) “was relegated to an observer’s seat as Sudan unilaterally terminated its political mission”, whereas “offers of mediation by Russia, Turkey, and a Sudan neighbours’ initiative launched by Egypt in July failed to generate traction because the RSF declined to cooperate with any”.

By the end of 2023, the Horn of Africa Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), whose members include Djibouti, Kenya, the Sudans, Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia and Eritrea, emerged as a lead mediator for a humanitarian ceasefire and civilian-led political negotiations.

IGAD convened in Djibouti in early December, for an extraordinary assembly session on the situation in Sudan, where members agreed to redouble efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution, including mediating head-to-head talks between El Burhan and RSF commander ‘Hemedti’.

“However, several challenges emerged in the final days of 2023 and early 2024 that risk derailing the IGAD’s role in these processes.”

Hours after the IGAD communiqué of the summit was released, the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs initially denied El Burhan’s agreement to meet with Hemedti without conditions, stating that the communiqué’s content “was not based on consensus nor legally binding.”

Baldo notes that the FA Ministry is “dominated by Islamist allies of the SAF” who are most likely behind the initial rejection of the offer. El Burhan later agreed to meet with Hemedti.

Another challenge facing IGAD’s role is the official reception and hospitality received by Hemedti during his Africa tour, in which he was hosted by the heads of four IGAD member states, including chairperson Ismail Guelleh, the President of Djibouti.

“Hemedti’s reception as a visiting dignitary bestowed on him a diplomatic legitimacy that provoked the ire of the SAF, and made less likely that Burhan would agree to meet with him under the IGAD’s auspices after this slight”, the expert explained.

Last June, Sudan’s Sovereignty Council, chaired by El Burhan, declared that “Kenya is not neutral and is home to RSF rebel leaders”.

Last week, acting FA Minister Ali El Sadig announced that Sudan summoned the Kenyan ambassador to protest against the official reception of Hemedti by the Kenyan president.

* Dr Suliman Baldo is an expert in justice, human rights and conflict resolution in Africa and served as the Africa head of International Crisis group, the International Center for Transitional Justice, and has also held human rights and mediation posts in the United Nations. He has provided expert advice on human rights in Mali and Darfur and currently leads the Sudan Transparency and Policy Tracker. (Source: International Centre for Dialogue Initiatives website)

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View original: https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/no-diplomatic-end-to-sudans-war-in-sight-warns-suliman-baldo

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Sudan: Is Janjaweed RSF chief Hemeti mentally ill?

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: Hemeti's words seldom match his actions. In this photo he looks exhausted and dejected. The International Criminal Court must cross his mind. He has sold his soul to the Devil and will suffer forever. All he has to do for peace to begin is to order his fighters to leave Khartoum. Has he lost control? Is he suffering mental illness? RSF fighters are moving their families into homes in Khartoum they stole for themselves. 

Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the Commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has declared that anyone hindering Sudan's peace process is a traitor to the nation. He affirmed his intention to attend the upcoming Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) meeting, driven by his… pic.twitter.com/5ixasWXf8B

— Sudan Tribune (@SudanTribune_EN) January 16, 2024

The above copy of a Jan 16, 2024 post at X by Sudan Tribune says "Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the Commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has declared that anyone hindering Sudan's peace process is a traitor to the nation. He affirmed his intention to attend the upcoming Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) meeting, driven by his unwavering commitment to resolving Sudan's ongoing conflict. https://sudantribune.com/article281358/"

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IGAD gives Sudan’s warring factions 2 weeks to meet

SEEMS the following demands made at today's (Saturday) IGAD meeting in Kampala, Uganda occurred after Sudan suspended its membership of IGAD:

"In a communique, read by Djibouti’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, the heads of states, including Presidents William Ruto of Kenya and Salva Kiir of South Sudan, along with representatives of the European Union, African Union and the United Nations, outlined their demands to the warring factions.

According to the communique, the conflict must be resolved by the Sudanese without any external interference. The IGAD leaders condemned the ongoing conflict that has caused suffering, with people losing hope and the state about to collapse". Read more.

From Observer Uganda

Written by VOA (Voice of America)

Dated Saturday, 20 January 2024 - here is a copy in full:

IGAD gives Sudan’s warring factions two weeks to meet

South Sudan President Salva Kiir at IGAD meeting

East Africa’s Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has given Sudan’s warring factions two weeks to meet face-to-face to de-escalate the situation.

The meeting, which also discussed the tension between Ethiopia and Somalia, made it clear that Somalia’s integrity must be respected. The IGAD meeting in Kampala described the conflict and political tension in the Horn of Africa and Sudan as a disturbing, senseless and devastating development.

Djibouti President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, also the IGAD chairperson, said the group’s heads of state met with a sense of urgency as the region grapples with challenging times. The conflict in Sudan broke out in April between the national army, led by Gen Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and Gen Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo of the Rapid Support Forces. Since then, 7 million people have been displaced and 12,000 have been killed.

Sudan suspended its participation in the Kampala IGAD summit, accusing the regional body of violating its sovereignty and setting a dangerous precedent.

In a communique, read by Djibouti’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, the heads of states, including Presidents William Ruto of Kenya and Salva Kiir of South Sudan, along with representatives of the European Union, African Union and the United Nations, outlined their demands to the warring factions.

According to the communique, the conflict must be resolved by the Sudanese without any external interference. The IGAD leaders condemned the ongoing conflict that has caused suffering, with people losing hope and the state about to collapse.

The Rapid Support Forces has specifically been accused of mass killings and use of rape as a weapon of war, especially in Darfur. Both parties have been accused of war crimes. Meanwhile, IGAD expressed concern about relations between Ethiopia and Somalia.

Early this month, Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding with Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, giving Ethiopia access to the sea. In return, Ethiopia would consider recognizing Somaliland as an independent country. IGAD reaffirmed that any such agreement should be with Somalia.

Mike Hammer, the US special envoy for the Horn of Africa, said the US is particularly concerned that the agreement could disrupt the fight that Somalis, Africa and regional partners are waging against the terrorist group al-Shabaab.

"We have already seen troubling indications that al-Shabab is using the MOU to generate new recruits," he said. "We urge both sides to avoid precipitous actions including related to existing Ethiopian force deployment to Somalia that could create opportunities for al-Shabab to expand its reach within Somalia and into Ethiopia."

The African Union Commission chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat urged both Somalia and Ethiopia to engage without delay, saying the tension compounds an already difficult time for the region.

View original: https://observer.ug/news/headlines/80338-igad-gives-sudan-s-warring-factions-two-weeks-to-meet

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Sudan suspends membership of IGAD

NOT seen this before, a news report from China using 'urgent' in a headline. Their reporting is good, accurate, measured, factual without sensationalism. 

Speaking of IGAD, wonder what became of EASF (Eastern Africa Standby Force) and why it or any other force is not being deployed to provide humanitarian corridors in Sudan, Chad and South Sudan for aid workers to reach people in urgent need of food, water, shelter, medical supplies.

Report from Xinhua

Dated Saturday, 20 January 2024 - here is a copy in full:

Urgent: Sudan suspends membership in eastern African block

KHARTOUM, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday the country has frozen its membership in the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development, an eastern African bloc. Enditem

View original: http://www.china.org.cn/world/Off_the_Wire/2024-01/20/content_116954268.htm

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