Darfurian Rebel Commander Faced a Judge of the ICC

By: Erica McCauley

On Monday, Darfurian rebel, Bahr Idriss Abu Garda, face an International Criminal Court judge for humanitarian violations in Darfur. This is the first rebel to face a judge for the genocide in Sudan. Garda turned himself over to the court, and when he admitted to the crimes, he was charged for three counts of war crimes. Garda has been leading the United Resistance Front against groups trying to save the Sudanese victims. He has also been fighting against these groups for the last five years. Two other men working with Garda have been accused of war crimes after the attack against African aid groups, but have yet to be judged and prosecuted. These three cases have been the first three cases that the court has implemented since Peacekeepers were killed in the 2007 attack. The ICC needs to confirm that killing, stealing from, and exploiting peacekeepers is not something that it condones before the court can continue with the trials. Garda will have to return to the Hague for further trials, if the court wishes; however, the violations against peacekeepers is still under investigation.