June 25: African Civic Leaders, Nobel Laureates and Justice Experts Urge
African Union Leaders to Support International Criminal Court Process in Sudan

African civil society leaders, Nobel Laureates, and justice experts from across the
continent are uniting ahead of the African Union summit, to call for action on the crisis in
Sudan.  In particular, the leaders are supporting the work of the International Criminal
Court (ICC), and calling for humanitarian access.

The statement, signed by Nobel Laureates Wangari Maathai (Peace, 2004), Archbishop
Desmond Tutu (Peace, 1984), and Wole Soyinka (Literature, 1986), as well as 39 other
prominent African experts, emphasizes that the ICC plays a critical role in achieving the
objectives of “justice and accountability for the peoples of Sudan.” 

“The people of Darfur deserve more than negotiating warlords forgiving 
each other for the violence – including brutal sexual violence – they have 
perpetrated primarily against women, children and other non-combatants.”

The signatories call for accountability and urge African political leaders to dramatically
step up efforts to negotiate an end to the violence in Darfur, and ensure that all parties to
the conflict, including the government, armed groups, and especially women who have
been building the path to peace, are at the peace table.

The statement comes on the heels of an Opinion Editorial piece penned by Maathai,
Soyinka, and Archbishop Tutu, which was published in Jeune Afrique and other African
media.

Read the statement in English here.
In French.

On June 6, African experts on international criminal justice met in Nairobi to exchange views on the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in relation to Africa.

The initiative by the African Union Assembly to encourage State Parties to the ICC to conduct a stocktaking of the impact of the ICC in Africa was applauded in a letter to the African States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

The letter outlines the challenges the ICC faces in relation to its work in Africa, and opportunities for the Court are highlighted.

Read the letter here.

June 4: Open letter to African States Parties to the Rome Statute

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and its member and partner organisations which are signatories of this letter (1) call on African states parties to the Rome Statute which are to meet in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia, on June 8 and 9, to support the action of the International Criminal Court (ICC), a judicial body complementary to national jurisdictions and in charge of trying the perpetrators of the most serious crimes that affect the international community as a whole.

This meeting is convened by the African Union to reflect on the relationships between the ICC and Africa, and comes within a context of criticism expressed by some African leaders towards international justice, since the arrest warrant issued on March, 4, 2009 by the ICC against the Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir, for crimes committed in Darfur.

Read the letter here.

May 12: Institute for Security Studies hosts workshop on international justice

The ISS’s International Crime in Africa Programme (ICAP) hosted a closed meeting constituting the first in the initiative – endorsed by African law society leaders and NGOs at a workshop in Pretoria in December 2008 – to establish an African Action Network on International Criminal Justice.

Read more here.

May 11: African NGO Forum passes resolution on strengthening international justice in Africa

(Banjul) NGOs gathered for the 45th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights in the Gambia passed a resolution, which was subsequently presented to the Commission called for ratification of the Rome Statute by African States and the appointment of a Special Rapporteur on Fighting Impunity in Africa.

Read the full resolution here.

April 28: Briefing note from the Darfur Consortium to the African Union

Following the expulsion and suspension of international and national humanitarian and human rights organizations in Darfur and Sudan one month ago, the Darfur Consortium released a briefing note to the African Union.

Consortium members are extremely concerned about the adverse effects the suspension of assistance has on the protection of civilians, the humanitarian situation in Darfur, the protection of human rights in Sudan and the indigenous Sudanese human rights movement in general.

The note calls for the AU to urge the government of Sudan to reconsider its decision to expel foreign aid groups and to facilitate humanitarian efforts, including by appointing a humanitarian envoy. The note also urges the AU to take on the situation of human rights defenders by calling on the government of Sudan to honor its commitments under international law on this issue, and to call on both the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, its Special Rapporteur for Human Rights Defenders and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on Human Rights Defenders to monitor and report on the issue. In addition, it urges fuller support for UNAMID.

Read the briefing note here.

April 14: International Refugee Rights Initiative - New York organized a brown bag lunch

The African Union, Darfur and the Question of Justice

Since 2004, the African Union has played a critical role in efforts to resolve the ongoing crisis in Darfur. From facilitating peace negotiations in Abuja to deploying the region’s first peacekeepers, the regional institution took a strong early lead in the international response. Although the United Nations has taken on an increasing role in recent years, the African Union remains a key partner in peacekeeping and mediation efforts.

More recently, the question of justice has come to the fore of this engagement, with the African Union reacting with consternation to the presentation of charges against Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir. Dismas Nkunda, Co-Chair of the Darfur Consortium and Co-Director of the International Refugee Rights Initiative, presented his perspectives on the role that the African Union has played in mediating the crisis so far and the impact that debates over international justice have had in its recent engagement.

In conjunction, we presented the report In the Interests of Justice? Prospects and Challenges for International Justice in Africa, which provides an overview of how international justice concepts, mechanisms and strategies have been deployed in Africa since the creation of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. It documents important developments, highlights opportunities and gaps and articulates areas of policy concern for a more effective deployment of international justice in Africa. The report provides a starting point for the building of an informed constituency for international justice on the continent that will serve to monitor and hold international justice to account in Africa. 

View the invite here.

Press release

“Seizing the final opportunity”: Leading members of Sudanese civil society call for national conference

(Khartoum, February 4, 2009) Representatives of independent Sudanese civil society organizations, media and rights activists called on Sudanese government, political actors and civil society members to urgently convene a conference to discuss the crisis brought on by the Sudanese government’s reaction to the charges brought by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court against the President of Sudan.

In a statement presented at a press conference in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, civil society, media and rights activists said reactions within Sudan to the possible indictment of President Bashir by the International Criminal Court (ICC) had “generated confusion and uncertainty” forcing the Government into confrontation with both its own people and the international community.  There was an urgent need as a result for all political forces within Sudan to come together to discuss the situation “holistically” with the support of those “regional and international stakeholders directly contributing to peace, justice and democracy.”   

Read the press release here.

An Open Letter from Monim Elgak to Salah Goush: regarding my arrest, torture and the International Criminal Court (ICC)

December 19, 2008

Dear Sir Salah Abdullah (Gosh), Director General of Sudanese Security and Intelligence,

I am writing to you a little later than would be expected. The torture and interrogation by your officers at the national security service has left me weak. This is an open letter, addressed to you personally equally as it is addressed to your colleagues, both  at the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) and your ruling party, the National Congress Party (NCP). Although the letter recounts my own personal experience it also echoes I believe the reactions of hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of people who were horrified at my arrest and torture.

Read the letter here.
In Arabic.

Statement of the Sudan Human Rights Defenders Forum (SHRD - Forum)

(Khartoum, December 16, 2008) Following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005, ending more than 20 years of conflict in South Sudan, the peace building processes in Sudan remains challenging. In addition, this is in contrast to the expectations and hopes invested in the 2005 Sudan National Interim Constitution.

Individuals and organizations working and advocating for human rights across the
country continue to face multiple risks to their activities and lives.

Read the statement here.