Sudan Welcomes Proposals On Darfur
Sudan has
cautiously welcomed proposals by the African Union to end the conflict in Darfur
but said the question of a special court to try those charged with atrocities
needed further discussion.
The decision was reached by the 15-member African Union Peace and Security
Council, meeting in Abuja, Nigeria to consider the report by a team led by
former South African President Thabo Mbeki.
The report had recommended the establishment of a special court, including
foreign judges, to try those charged with atrocities in Darfur, where the United
Nations says hundreds of thousands of people have been killed by fighting.
Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha was quoted as saying at the
meeting, "We go along with the deep vision contained in the report about
elections being held all over Sudan, especially Darfur, recommendations that
need further dialogue include the establishment of a new justice mechanism. That
needs closer scrutiny if it is in line with the constitution," he said.
He said such hybrid tribunals would "set a precedent" for other problems in
Africa and said there needed to be further dialogue on whether there were better
alternatives for Darfur.
Other issues
The council also discussed the peace process in South Sudan,
which ended a two-decade civil war with the north in 2005,Mostly non-Arab rebels
revolted in 2003 accusing Khartoum of neglecting Darfur. A counter-insurgency
campaign drove more than 2 million people from their homes. The United Nations
says 300,000 people died, but Khartoum rejects that figure.
Fierce fighting in the early days of the conflict has declined, replaced in many
areas by a free-for-all involving bandits, rebel splinter groups and rival
tribes.
The ICC issued an arrest warrant in March for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir,
accusing him of war crimes in Darfur.
The one-day meeting in Abuja was attended by Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua,
Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki, former South African President Thabo Mbeki and
other delegates from around Africa.
REUTERS/Yinka
