The Obama administration's new Sudan policy, announced this morning, represents a positive step toward improving human rights and securing justice in Sudan. The policy aims to end conflict in Darfur and ensure implementation of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

On October 19, 2009, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague will begin a hearing to assess whether charges of war crimes against Bahar Idriss Abu Garda, a rebel leader in Darfur, Sudan, should be confirmed. This "confirmation of charges" hearing, the first related to ICC investigations in Darfur, could pave the way for the ICC's first trial involving crimes committed in Darfur.

On October 19, 2009, the International Criminal Court (ICC) will begin a hearing to assess whether charges of war crimes against Bahar Idriss Abu Garda, a rebel leader in Darfur, Sudan, should be confirmed.

(New York, October 9, 2009) – The award of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize to US President Barack Obama should encourage him to apply his stated principles to both foreign and domestic human rights policy.

The Sudanese government should end attacks by its armed forces on civilians in Darfur and make the major human rights reforms envisioned in the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). Special Envoys to Sudan, concerned governments, and United Nations and African Union officials meeting in Moscow today should press Sudan's government to make these legal and policy changes a matter of urgent priority.

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.

Recognizing our obligation to help protect human rights and uphold the rule of law, we, the undersigned civil society organizations, appeal to African ICC States Parties to reaffirm their support for the ICC and their commitment to abide by their obligations under the Rome Statute, particularly in relation to the arrest and transfer of the President of Sudan to the ICC.

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.