What is surprising is the recent assault on the ICC from within the African Union, despite, as outlined in a recent communiqué of its Peace and Security Council, its "unflinching commitment to combating impunity." Several of the AU's North African members - who are not, incidentally, parties to the ICC - are trying to undercut its support on the continent.
The former Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano will give his final briefing to the United Nations Security Council on July 15 in his role as the secretary-general's special envoy for the areas of east and central Africa affected by the Lord's Resistance Army and their two-decade campaign of violence. Although Chissano's mandate was suspended as of June 30, abuses by the LRA - ruthless rebels whose actions have had a devastating effect on civilians in four countries - continue.
The priority for both the Arab League and the African Union should be to press Sudan to readmit the aid groups. This would help ensure that the victims of atrocities in Darfur are not further victimized. This would also make a far better headline than Bashir boarding yet another plane.
The indictment by the International Criminal Court (ICC) of Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir has set off a political firestorm which threatens to engulf global north-south relations and set back the ambitious project of international justice. Yet the indictment was the right thing to do, and these threats can be avoided if the EU and its allies play it firm, fair and smart.
The arrest warrant for President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan is an important test of the European Union's long-standing commitment to justice and the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague.
As a member of the United Nations security council for two years, South Africa has had many opportunities to speak out forcefully for human rights - or to join those speaking out against them. Again and again, it has chosen the latter course.
Many people in Bosnia and beyond thought they would never see Radovan Karadzic standing before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). It seemed almost beyond the dreams of the rape victims that I interviewed in Bosnia in 1993, or those held in concentration camps. But even then, in the midst of the conflict and in very difficult circumstances, local civilians had painstakingly gathered detailed testimonies from survivors in the hope that one day, there would be justice for these crimes.
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) took a bold and controversial step when, on 14 July, he requested an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Bashir on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
If the government of Sudan is allowed to use threats of additional violence to dispel the possibility of justice, the victims of Darfur are ultimately betrayed.
In June, the Security Council issued a unanimous statement calling for Sudan to cooperate with the ICC. That reaffirmed the council’s historic commitment to bring justice to victims in Darfur. The international community should now stand with the ICC as it considers warrants against Bashir, which is a further step toward meaningful accountability for the massive crimes in the region.
What is surprising is the recent assault on the ICC from within the African Union, despite, as outlined in a recent communiqué of its Peace and Security Council, its "unflinching commitment to combating impunity." Several of the AU's North African members - who are not, incidentally, parties to the ICC - are trying to undercut its support on the continent.
The former Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano will give his final briefing to the United Nations Security Council on July 15 in his role as the secretary-general's special envoy for the areas of east and central Africa affected by the Lord's Resistance Army and their two-decade campaign of violence. Although Chissano's mandate was suspended as of June 30, abuses by the LRA - ruthless rebels whose actions have had a devastating effect on civilians in four countries - continue.
The priority for both the Arab League and the African Union should be to press Sudan to readmit the aid groups. This would help ensure that the victims of atrocities in Darfur are not further victimized. This would also make a far better headline than Bashir boarding yet another plane.
The indictment by the International Criminal Court (ICC) of Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir has set off a political firestorm which threatens to engulf global north-south relations and set back the ambitious project of international justice. Yet the indictment was the right thing to do, and these threats can be avoided if the EU and its allies play it firm, fair and smart.
The arrest warrant for President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan is an important test of the European Union's long-standing commitment to justice and the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague.
As a member of the United Nations security council for two years, South Africa has had many opportunities to speak out forcefully for human rights - or to join those speaking out against them. Again and again, it has chosen the latter course.
Many people in Bosnia and beyond thought they would never see Radovan Karadzic standing before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). It seemed almost beyond the dreams of the rape victims that I interviewed in Bosnia in 1993, or those held in concentration camps. But even then, in the midst of the conflict and in very difficult circumstances, local civilians had painstakingly gathered detailed testimonies from survivors in the hope that one day, there would be justice for these crimes.
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) took a bold and controversial step when, on 14 July, he requested an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Bashir on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
If the government of Sudan is allowed to use threats of additional violence to dispel the possibility of justice, the victims of Darfur are ultimately betrayed.
In June, the Security Council issued a unanimous statement calling for Sudan to cooperate with the ICC. That reaffirmed the council’s historic commitment to bring justice to victims in Darfur. The international community should now stand with the ICC as it considers warrants against Bashir, which is a further step toward meaningful accountability for the massive crimes in the region.