Probes, Pressure Failing to Stop Darfur Killings

Probes, Pressure Failing to Stop Darfur KillingsUNITED NATIONS, Dec 15 (IPS) - Though pleased with the progress made in the International Criminal Court's (ICC) investigation of war crimes in Darfur, Sudan, rights groups say urgent action is required to end the impunity surrounding those responsible for the killings of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians. Many prominent rights groups, including the London-based Amnesty International and the New York-based Human Rights Watch, said they welcomed the ICC prosecutor's report to the U.N. Security Council Thursday, but said his success still depends on how Khartoum is dealt with by the world community. "We would like to see the prosecutor moving forward," said Richard Dicker, director of the International Justice Programme at the New York-based Human Rights Watch. "We don't expect the Sudanese government has the political will to carry out meaningful prosecution." In response to the ICC investigation, which was mandated by a Security Council resolution in March 2005, the Sudanese government is currently carrying out its own probe into the killings of civilians in Darfur. Between 200,000 and 400,000 people have died in Darfur since 2003, when rebels seeking greater autonomy took up arms against the government. Since then, millions of others have been uprooted from their traditional lands. In his report to the Security Council, chief ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said he was almost ready to bring charges for some of the worst war crimes committed in Darfur during the past three years. "The evidence provides reasonable grounds to believe that the individuals identified have committed crimes against humanity and war crimes, including the crimes of persecution, torture, murder and rape," he said. In his briefing, Moreno-Ocampo, who is expected to request arrest warrants for 51 suspected perpetrators in February, criticised the probe being carried out by Sudanese authorities. Khartoum insists it is in the process of setting up courts, but the prosecutor said it does not appear to have done that. Moreno-Ocampo said his office had taken more than 100 formal witness statements and screened hundreds of potential witnesses since the start of its investigation. On Khartoum's intentions to try war criminals, Amnesty International said it was clear from the prosecutor's report there is "no full and effective cooperation by the government", and there must be "an immediate end to impunity" in Sudan to halt the deepening human rights crisis. The group demanded the government provide the prosecutor with "immediate, unrestricted, and safe access to all parts of Sudan" and prevent reprisals from against anyone assisting the prosecutor's investigations. Both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have urged the ICC prosecutor to consider extending his investigation into war crimes that were started in Darfur, but were completed across the border in eastern Chad and the Central African Republic. Both Chad and the Central African Republic are parties to the treaty that established the world court in 2002 to prosecute individuals for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Considering the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in the region, the Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights Council has said it is ready to start its own investigation of abuses and killings of innocent civilians in Darfur. In response to international criticism, Khartoum has consistently denied that it is backing the Janjaweed militias and insists that the scale of the crisis has been exaggerated by Western powers. Rights groups say the violence has intensified in recent months despite the presence of 7,000 African Union troops, which continue to lack adequate resources. A recent Security Council resolution allows the U.N. to deploy its own peacekeepers, but the Sudanese government refuses to allow U.N. forces in Darfur. However, it has expressed its willingness to let the U.N. provide logistical support to a bigger AU force. Sudan has also rejected warnings of tougher action by the United States and Britain if it continued to block the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers. "Threats and blockades, and no-fly zones, would not solve the problem, but would increase suffering in Darfur," said Foreign Minister Lam Akol in a recent statement. Humanitarian groups in the region like Oxfam International note that the insecurity has led to the evacuation of 250 staff members from key locations across Darfur serving some 480,000 people. Aid workers are facing unprecedented difficulties at a time when humanitarian needs are rising fast, said a group of leading international aid agencies working in the conflict-stricken region. "If the deterioration is allowed to continue, the impact on civilians could be devastating. With new displacements and attacks, the presence of aid agencies is more important than ever. Yet every day brings one huge blow after another to aid efforts," said Paul Smith-Lomas, regional director for Oxfam. The group said recent months have seen a steady deterioration in agencies' ability to reach people in need. In November, one agency was unable to properly access 19 of its 22 programme locations, affecting 175,000 people. In Kalma camp in south Darfur, which shelters 90,000 people, agencies are losing one day's work a week due to rising violence inside the camp. Meanwhile, a U.S.-based group, Africa Action, released a major new report this week entitled "Leveraging New International Action on Darfur", laying out how the U.S. can use strategic diplomacy to engage key actors on Darfur and break the deadlock over the deployment of a U.N. force. The group also sent a letter to the U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan Andrew Natsios, signed by hundreds of leaders of religious congregations and denominations from around the country, demanding that the U.S. redouble its efforts to achieve an international peacekeeping force that can stop the violence and protect civilians in Darfur. "The international community is running out of options on Darfur," said Ann-Louise Colgan, director of policy analysis at Africa Action. "It is time for a new U.S. foreign policy strategy, which leverages U.S. relationships with key actors to advance the established goal of a U.N. peacekeeping force for Darfur. The Bush administration must marshal all of its diplomatic resources now." The religious leaders' letter, also sent to the White House today, calls for a comprehensive diplomatic offensive on Darfur from the U.S. to ensure the deployment of a peacekeeping force. It says "credibility of the U.S. on Darfur will be judged by the attainment of this goal." (END/2006)