I sat in the gallery to watch his appearance – more poised and relaxed than any defendant I have seen in the ICC dock. The hearing itself was the usual formalities that go with a first appearance. The suspect gives his name, date of birth (he’s 46) and profession (“political commander”). The Judge – in […]
Darfuri rebel suspected of attack on peacekeepers now at ICCوصول بحر ادريس أبو قردة إلى مباني المحكمة الجنائية الدولية Abu Garda est arrivé dans les locaux de la Cour pénale internationale
May 17, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Today, the first suspect to turn himself in voluntarily to the ICC arrived in The Hague following the issuance of a Summons to Appear (this is what the Prosecutor asks for in lieu of an arrest warrant if there is a chance the suspect will appear voluntarily). This is great news – both in terms […]
Aid agencies: Between a rock and a hard place
May 7, 2009 by Leave a Comment
In a blog post that is worth reading in full, Rob Crilly details the impossible situation the expelled aid agencies have been put in and asks, “Would you, given these circumstances, ever consider returning to a country that has done all this? Particularly if the deal essentially involved you changing your name thus admitting that […]
In Obama we trust (?)
April 29, 2009 by 1 Comment
100 days in Office. No progress on Darfur. The hope held by so many is being put to the test. It’s an old story – We look at a situation of failure and say “if only” factor X was different, the problem would be resolved. It’s a trap many advocates walked themselves into at the […]
Hunger Strike for Darfur
April 19, 2009 by Leave a Comment
On dodgy airport computer in terminal at Heathrow on way to Chicago and just got this statement through from Mia Farrow. She is leading a hunger strike in solidarity with those who are facing shortages of food and water as a result of the GOS expulsions of humanitarian organizations. Her goal is that leaders pressure the GOS […]
If you were in Sudan, you couldn’t see this
April 8, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Friends of mine in Sudan have been emailing to tell me that this website is not accessible. People who are trying to submit questions from inside Sudan get told that the page cannot be displayed. Given the range of sites that are still accessible inside Sudan right now, I’m not willing to assume I’ve been […]
Arab League supports Bashir
March 31, 2009 by Leave a Comment
The Arab Times, Kuwait, reports that the Arab League concluded its Summit in Doha with a resolution in support of Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir: “We reiterate our solidarity with Sudan and our rejection of the measure of the … International Criminal Court against his Excellency (Bashir).” The Arab Coalition for Darfur, coordinated by five […]
UNSC appeals for expulsions to be reconsidered
March 27, 2009 by Leave a Comment
On March 4, the Sudanese government began expelling aid agencies from Sudan, leading to the gaps in the provision of humanitarian assistance throughout Darfur that were identified in this week’s Joint Assessment Report. Three weeks after these expulsions the UN Security Council has finally managed to: “appeal to it [the Government of Sudan] to reconsider […]
Humanitarian expulsions: joint assessment
March 26, 2009 by 1 Comment
I just received a copy of the joint assessment report on the humanitarian impact of the Sudanese government’s decision to expel 13 aid agencies. The report has been signed off on by both the Commissioner of the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) and the UN Humanitarian Coordinator. It is a somewhat surreal experience to read the […]
GOS interference forces Mandate Darfur to cancel
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation has canceled it’s much-anticipated Mandate Darfur conference, scheduled to start in Addis next week. They posted the notice on their website moments ago. I’m almost too angry to respond. I can’t tell you how many Darfuris and Darfur advocates have been talking with excitement about the fact this conference was happening […]