Sudanese Pair Accused of War Crimes

The International Criminal Court's prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo reacts during a press conference in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, in which he named former Sudanese minister Ahmad Harun as a suspect for war crimes in Darfur, saying he helped recruit janjaweed militias responsible for murders, rapes and torture. (Peter Dejong - AP)

The prosecutor said that during a public meeting, Harun was heard boasting that his appointment to the Darfur Security Desk gave him "all the power and authority to kill or forgive whoever in Darfur, for the sake of peace and security."

The United States is not a signatory to the International Criminal Court and does not officially cooperate with it. But Washington refrained from blocking a U.N. Security Council move to refer the Darfur case to the international court, which human rights groups and others said signaled a turning point in U.S. relations with the new tribunal.

Moreno-Ocampo said the court had neither requested nor received any assistance from the U.S. government in its investigation. He said it would not turn down any evidence that would help its case.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormick said, "We fully support bringing to justice those responsible for crimes and atrocities that . . . have occurred in Darfur. We are at a point in the process now where we could call upon the Sudanese government to cooperate fully with the ICC."

Humanitarian and nongovernmental organizations here and in Europe welcomed Moreno-Ocampo's announcement and pressed for further measures against more, and more senior, Sudanese officials.

Richard Dicker, head of the international justice program at Human Rights Watch, said the prosecutor's court filing "signals the beginning of the end of the impunity associated with the horrific crimes in Darfur. The two individuals named were major players, but this can only be the first of many cases, and we expect the ICC prosecutor to press his investigation further up Khartoum's chain of command."

Dicker said Kushayb was connected to a "large set of summary executions in several villages, and Harun played a central role in arming the Janjaweed. These are serious players, not minor thugs."

John Prendergast, an Africa specialist and senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, said, "Finally, after four years of total impunity from the international community for the immense crimes committed in Darfur, the ICC has struck the first blow for accountability." He added, "The fact that the prosecutor went up the food chain right into the presidential palace is significant, as it sends a message to the other orchestrators of these horrific crimes."

News of the prosecutor's finding was also welcomed by some residents of Khartoum. In a cafe, Ali Mansur, who fled to the capital from the Darfur region two years ago, said, "There are more criminals than two." He added, "The situation on the ground is worse than what the government says."

Tariq Said, a retired Sudanese military officer, expressed hope that "this will give Sudan a chance to go in the right direction. This issue is the concern of all Sudanese. Everyone wants peace in Darfur."

The prosecutor also said that in addition to the investigation of Darfur, "we are monitoring the spillover of violence into Chad and the Central African Republic." He said that because both countries are among the 104 full members of the international tribunal, he did not need a special referral to investigate what was happening there.

"We are getting information about current crimes, of what happens today, because this will affect the lives of the victims," Moreno-Ocampo said. "The court has to contribute to the prevention of crimes, because people who are displaced are now exposed, and it is my responsibility. We are just doing our job. Our mandate is to investigate and end impunity."

McCrummen reported from Khartoum.