Sudan rebels wanted over peacekeepers' deaths

By: Stephanie Gesselle


Today, the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court requested warrants for the arrests of several rebel leaders who are suspected to be responsible for several attacks on peacekeepers last year. According to sources, the attacks occured in the Darfur region of Sudan. These warrants are the first ever to be requested in response to an attack on peacekeepers. The ICC has proclaimed these attacks "war crimes" and noted that they will not go unpunished. The attacks took place last September and killed 12 peacekeepers and injured several others. The rebel soldiers stormed a peacekeeping base in Haskanita. This has been reported to be the deadliest attack on peacekeepers since their initial involvement in early 2004. It is still unclear what the Judge will decide on terms of the warrant requests for the three men. Currently Sudan does not recognize the ICC as an authority so this may be an issue in determination. Human Rights groups have praised the action of the ICC prosecutors efforts, claiming that "Civilians rely on peacekeepers for protection, and any hope for restoring security for civilians in Darfur depends on peacekeepers being able to do their job," said Richard Dicker, director of the International Justice Program at Human Rights Watch. "These warrant requests send a strong message that such crimes will not be tolerated." Hopefully, the arrests of these rebel leaders will help force this message and deter some of the rebel activity.