Bensouda, Sudan envoy trade barbs over ICC
International Criminal Court’s prosecutor Fatou Bensouda PHOTO|FILE
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The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and Sudan’s ambassador to the United Nations exchanged verbal barbs on Thursday during a Security Council meeting on Darfur.
Khartoum. The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and Sudan’s ambassador to the United Nations exchanged verbal barbs on Thursday during a Security Council meeting on Darfur.
Sudan envoy Omer Dahab Fadl Mohamed sharply criticised ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda’s report to the council earlier in the session.
She had scolded the Security Council’s member states for failing to enforce ICC warrants for the arrest of Sudan President Omar al-Bashir on charges of genocide and war crimes in Darfur.
Ambassador Mohamed said the ICC has no jurisdiction over Sudan. His country’s referral to the court had been based on what he termed an “unfounded presumption” that Sudan’s judicial system was unwilling or unable to administer justice.
Ms Bensouda said in response that she regretted “the blatant misinformation provided by the representative of Sudan to cover up the situation in Darfur.”
Countries that have signed the treaty establishing the ICC are obligated to arrest President Bashir when he travels to their territory, Ms Bensouda added. She cited the Sudanese leader’s visits to the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2014 and to South Africa last year.
Mr Mohamed accused Ms Bensouda of exceeding her authority, saying she has “chosen to be at the same time judge and jury.” He denied that President Bashir had committed any wrongdoing by traveling to other countries. (NMG)
