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Khartoum slams ICC naming of minister in war crime probe

The International Criminal Court (ICC) yesterday named a Sudanese minister and a Janjaweed militia leader as the first war crimes suspects in the Darfur conflict.

ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo accused the pair of 51 crimes against humanity and war crimes -- including murder, torture and rape -- as the stricken Sudanese region entered a fifth year of the civil war which has left more than 200,000 dead, UN figures showed.

Ahmed Haroun, Sudanese minister for humanitarian affairs and a former minister in charge of Darfur and Ali Kosheib, a principal leader of the Janjaweed militia accused over some of the worst Darfur atrocities, could become the first Darfur suspects to face a war crimes trial.

Moreno-Ocampo alleged in a statement that Haroun and Kosheib "jointly committed crimes against the civilian population of Darfur."

He said there were "reasonable grounds" for formal war crimes charges.

Later on in Khartoum, the Sudanese justice minister rejected the ICC's allegations, saying they he would not be handed over for trial.

"We are not concerned with, nor do we accept, what the International Criminal Court prosecutor has opted for," Justice Minister Mohammed Ali al-Mardi said.

"Our position [on handing over any indictees] remains the same," al-Mardi said.

Sudan has repeatedly said it will not respect any indictments handed down by the ICC.

"The Sudanese judiciary has the capacity and the will to prosecute those who have committed crimes in Darfur," al-Mardi said.
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