Story summary:
Last Monday, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, made history by charging the president of Sudan, Omar Hassan el-Bashir, with genocide in Darfur. The pundits argue that el-Bashir will show his anger at the charges by retaliating against civilians, aid workers, and the small, helpless contingent of international troops in Darfur. The result will be, as some members of el-Bashir's regime have menacingly predicted, "more violence," as well as starvation after aid flights are blocked. The displaced populations of Darfur and those trying to help them are certainly vulnerable. Although the killings, rapes, and expulsions that produced 2.5 million refugees in 2003 and 2004 have tapered off, Khartoum's agents are still doing damage, still attacking villages.
Last Monday, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, made history by charging the president of Sudan, Omar Hassan el-Bashir, with genocide in Darfur.
Several commentators in America and Europe have questioned the wisdom of the court, an independent entity based in the Hague, Netherlands, that was established by an international treaty in 2002.
The pundits argue that el-Bashir will show his anger at the charges by retaliating against civilians, aid workers, and the small, helpless contingent of international troops in Darfur. The result will be, as some members of el-Bashir's regime have menacingly predicted, "more violence," as well as starvation after aid flights are blocked.
The displaced populations of Darfur and those trying to help them are certainly vulnerable. Although the killings, rapes, and expulsions that produced 2.5 million refugees in 2003 and 2004 have tapered off, Khartoum's agents are still doing damage, still attacking villages. The best estimates are that an additional 100,000 people have been driven from their homes since January.
But if one listens to the Darfuris themselves, one hears only praise for the prosecutor's decision, coupled with fear that China, the African Union, or the Arab countries will pressure the United Nations Security Council to "freeze" the indictment, a possibility provided for in the statutes that set up the International Criminal Court.
The Darfuris want justice as much as, or more than, they want food, shelter and medical aid. The indictment of el-Bashir lends them hope and a sense of worth, satisfaction and a sense of being recognized by the world as victims of genocide. Their welcome of the indictment demonstrates their willingness to endure further privation, threat and uncertainty if it is accompanied by the prospect of bringing the perpetrators to justice.