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Sudan
ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrants for Darfur rebels
Article published on the 2008-11-21 Latest update 2008-11-22 15:55 TU
Sudanese lawyers protesting in July this year against the request for an ICC arrest warrent against President al-Beshir
( Photo: AFP )
The Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court (ICC), Luis Moreno-Ocampo on Thursday requested arrest warrants for three Darfur rebel leaders. The warrants are being sought in connection with an attack on African Union peacekeepers in 2007 in Haskanita, Darfur, that left 12 dead and eight wounded.
"African Union peacekeepers have to be respected," said Moreno-Ocampo. "Everyone has to respect the law, that's the message."
He told the ICC judges that there were reasonable grounds to believe that rebel commanders bear "criminal responsibility for murder".
"African Union peacekeepers are protecting millions of civilians," he emphasised.
The move comes several months after a request for a warrant to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir for "genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity".
The ICC prosecutor did not divulge the names of the rebel leaders he seeks to arrest.
One of the rebel groups active in Darfur, the Justice and Equality Movement (Jem) on Thursday denied any involvement with the attack in Haskanita.
Eltahir el-Fakih, of Jem, said however "If the prosecutor told us who these perpetrators are, we are more than happy to surrender those to the ICC."
Reaction: Eltahir el-Fakih, Speaker of the Jem Legislative Council
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon urged compliance "by all parties to the actions of the court" after Moreno-Ocampo's call.
