ICC Prosecutor Pays Historic Visit To Sudan
18 October, 2020
KHARTOUM (Sudanow) - The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Fatou Bensouda who arrived to Khartoum late evening Saturday described her first visit to the county as historic and seek to cement complementarity between the international body and the Sudanese judicial system in handling the Darfur cases.
This is the first visit by any senior ICC official to the Sudan, since the rebellion broke in Darfur in 2003 and cases of genocide and war atrocities attracted the world attention, with the ICC listing a number of senior deposed government officials, including dictator Omar Bashir, in its list of badly wanted persons accused of committing crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing charges.
The prosecutor said her several day visit to Sudan which started on Saturday aimed at discussing with the government officials cooperation between the ICC and the Sudanese judiciary with the aim of establishing trial complementarity.
One of the mechanisms the ICC could follow in handling criminal cases is trial at home but it has to make sure the judiciary and legal systems are independent and sovereign.
The ICC is also seeking the assistance and help of the Sudanese government in the trial of Abdul Rahaman Koushaib, one of the ten top men the court seeks to try. After Koushaib, a former militial leader accused of killing and rape, turned himself in it was difficult to secure the cooperation of the government of deposed President Omar Bashir to obtain evidence and collect data.
With the advent of the new regime in Sudan Bensouda said she hopes to secure during this visit cooperation from the government of prime Minister Hamdok to collect information as soon as possible that would help them handle the case of Koushaib.
The visiting ICC official held her first meeting with the Minister of Justice, Dr Nassr ed-din Abdul Bari. She then met Taishi, a civilian from the 10-man Sovereign Council, the collective hybrid, military civilian presidency. She will stay in Sudan until Tuesday.
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