17 May 09 - The Aegis Trust welcomes the arrival in the Hague of Bahar Idriss Abu Garda, leader of the United Redemption Front (URF), in response to the summons issued under seal by the International Criminal Court on 7 May for his suspected role in the attack on the African Union base at Haskanita, North Darfur, in October 2007. This is the first time that an individual charged with crimes under international law has presented himself to court in response to a summons.
"Attacks on peacekeepers can never be tolerated and those responsible must be brought to justice," says Dr James Smith, Chief Executive of the Aegis Trust. "Abu Garda's arrival in the Hague increases the pressure on others to follow suit, not least the Sudanese Government, which has so far refused even to recognise the authority of the ICC, never mind send any of the suspects in its ranks to the Hague."
Abu Garda is one of the three rebel commanders previously subject to sealed indictments for the Haskanita attack, in which twelve AU peacekeepers were killed. It is widely believed that the URF is not the only rebel group facing the sealed indictments. The other suspects have yet to come forward, although the leaders of all the major rebel groups in Darfur have made statements of intent to cooperate with the ICC - most explicitly in a short film released through the Sudan Tribune on 2 March this year (see http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article30331
For the ICC's press statement on this today, see: http://www.icc-cpi.int/menus/icc/press%20and%20media/press%20releases/20090516_pr411?lan=en-GB
