Interesting little report here from Reuters that the EU is applying pressure on Turkey not to host Bashir next week. The signal coming from Ankara is that they will go ahead anyway, but this kind of en-masse pressure has a better shot of success than any bilateral pressure from a single European state could ever […]
Abu Garda is in the dock, but he is not the only one under scrutiny
October 30, 2009 by 1 Comment
It has been a fascinating week at the ICC with the Confirmation Hearing in the Prosecution’s case against Darfur rebel leader, Abu Garda. The Prosecution is charging him with three counts of war crimes (murder, intentionally directing attacks against a peacekeeping mission, and pillaging) with respect to the 2007 attack on the African Union peacekeeping […]
We are failing these women
October 23, 2009 by Leave a Comment
When I was in Khartoum earlier this year, I went to the courtroom where Lubna Hussein was being tried under the Public Order Offense laws for wearing trousers. As readers of this blog will know, the public scrutiny of Lubna’s case was such that the court eventually backed off sentencing her with a flogging, and […]
Bashir’s campaign goes online
October 21, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Check it out: http://www.albashir.sd/e/index.php As part of preparations for his bid to renew his Presidency in the upcoming “democratic” elections of 2010, Bashir has taken his campaign online (complete with a dove of peace floating above his name). Note though, the target audience. Firstly, while Khartoum has a high rate of internet usage, the bulk […]
Abu Garda at the ICC
October 19, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Lots going on today. At midday Hague time, Darfuri rebel, Abu Garda‘s confirmation of charges hearing began at the ICC. He is the first suspect to appear before the court in any of the Darfur cases. It’s 4.30am where I am, so I’m afraid you’re not getting a summary from me right now, but there […]
Verify, then trust
October 19, 2009 by 2 Comments
“Verify, then trust” seems to be the sentiment of the day – both from the U.S. government towards Khartoum, but also from Darfur activists to the U.S. government. The Obama Administration finally released the results of its long-awaited Sudan Policy Review this morning. As the State Department’s press release puts it: “The strategy is based […]
Sexual violence against Darfuri women – as reported from one side of the border
October 1, 2009 by Leave a Comment
A report, entitled “No Place for Us Here” released by Amnesty International yesterday highlights the continuing problem of both the occurrence of rape and the impunity for it in and around the refugee camps in Chad. Amnesty acknowledges the limitations of their research given the general insecurity in the area and the sensitive nature of […]
Bureaucratic idiocy
September 28, 2009 by Leave a Comment
This is a diary entry from when I was in Sudan last month that I haven’t had a chance to post before now . . . It ‘s a nice counterpoint to the logistical ease of travel I experienced on the Gration trip a couple of weeks later. 24 August, 2009 Well – it’s been […]
What’s to stop the outsourcing of justice?
September 25, 2009 by Leave a Comment
[Apologies for the length of this post. The first four paras are a pretty bread-and-butter summary of the decision handed down today. After that I get into my broader concerns about how to support the spirit behind the principle of complementarity.] Judge Daniel David Ntanda Nsereko just handed down the Appeals Chamber’s decision on the […]
Fudge the analysis, fudge the policy
I think what surprises me most about the Sudan Policy Review is that a document that contains so many of the basic principles found in any “policy 101” textbook (mix of carrots and sticks, escalating series of responses, verification before acceptance etc.) took so long to be concluded. But the length of time it took […]