Tue, 9 Feb 21:56:52 GMT17

 
Sudan rubs salt in Darfur's wounds
06 Sep 2007 16:41:00 GMT
Written by: Andrew Stroehlein
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This week's award for outrageous cheek goes to... the government of Sudan, which has nominated suspected war criminal Ahmed Haroun to co-chair a committee investigating human rights abuses in Darfur. You remember Haroun, don't you? The International Criminal Court indicted him for war crimes and crimes against humanity, and even issued a warrant for his arrest in spring this year. As former state minister of the interior with responsibility for Darfur in 2003-2004, Haroun is thought to be one of those closely associated with atrocities committed there.

If Darfur weren't so tragic, this would be hilarious. It's like asking the fox to ascertain what happened to all the chickens in the hen house. Opposition politicians and activists in Sudan have expressed outrage. In a Reuters article Kamal Omar, a lawyer and human rights activist, explained this slap in the face: "By allowing Haroun to co-chair this committee, Sudan wants to send the signal that it does not recognise the decision of the ICC."

Richard Dicker, director of Human Rights Watch's International Justice Program, said in a statement just released: "Coming during Ban Ki-moon’s visit to Sudan, Haroun’s nomination is a stunning affront. It is an insult to the Darfur victims who filed complaints with the vain hope that the government would take them seriously."

I hope news of this outrage -- along with Dicker's quote -- gets added to all the current media coverage of the Ban tour.
 
 

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Journalist Andrew Stroehlein is Communications Director for the International Crisis Group, the conflict resolution organisation, where he promotes responsible coverage of current and potential conflicts and helps draw attention to forgotten wars around the world.

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