Sudan prime minister vows to deliver peace in Darfur
Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said his government was working to bring peace to Darfur as he met hundreds of victims of the conflict in the region.
Mr Hamdok’s one-day visit was his first to Darfur since taking office. The conflict in the region began in 2003, leaving hundreds of thousands dead and displacing millions.
On Monday, he met war victims in Al Fashir town, the capital of North Darfur state that houses several camps where tens of thousands of displaced people have for years lived.
“We want justice. Send all criminals of Darfur to the ICC [International Criminal Court],” a crowd chanted as Mr Hamdok visited the camps.
He told them that his government, which was formed in September, would work to deliver justice.
“I knew your demands even before you raised them. We know the massacres that happened in Darfur,” he said. “We will all work together to achieve your demands.”
The crowd chanted: “No justice, no peace in Darfur.”
The conflict flared when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against the government of Omar Al Bashir, accusing it of marginalising the region economically and politically.
Khartoum began what rights groups have described as a scorched-earth policy against ethnic groups suspected of supporting the rebels , with reports of rape, killings, looting and villages being burnt.
The UN said about 300,000 people were killed and 2.5 million displaced in the conflict.
The ICC accuses Mr Al Bashir, whose 30-year reign as president was brought to an end in April after mass protests against his rule, of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. He denies the charges.
“We want those criminals to be given to the ICC. Without that there won’t be peace in Darfur,” Mohamed Adam, who represents the victims of Darfur, told Mr Hamdok.
Mr Adam said the militias that rampaged through the region’s villages in the early years of the conflict must be disarmed.
“We also want our lands to be returned to their rightful owners,” he said.
Several families displaced by the conflict have returned to their homes only to find their lands occupied.
A leader of the protest movement that led to the removal of Mr Al Bashir said on Sunday that its members could hand the deposed president over to the ICC.
“All members of the Forces of Freedom and Change agree on that,” said Ibrahim Al Sheikh, a leader from the umbrella protest group.
After Mr Al Bashir was removed from power by the army, ICC prosecutors demanded he be sent to stand trial for mass killings in Darfur.
The generals who initially seized power and arrested Mr Al Bashir have refused to deliver him to The Hague.
Sudan’s transitional authorities would need to ratify the ICC’s Rome Statute to allow for the transfer of Mr Al Bashir to the court.
Mr Al Bashir is being held in a Khartoum prison and is facing trial on charges of corruption.