Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) urged the United Nations Security Council to help with the arrest of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and three others accused of genocide in Darfur.
Although a warrant for the arrest of the Sudanese president has been issued, the actual arrest has not happened, in part because there is a divide among U.N. member states on how to deal with the situation coupled with the refusal of Sudan to make the arrests.
Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo has expressed frustration on the failure to enforce the warrant, which had been issued seven years ago. In his 15th and final report, according to the New York Times, he requested that all member states, even the ones that do not recognize the authority of the ICC, to take strict action on facilitating al-Bashir's arrest. Ocampo is also suggesting that the president and the other three leaders be arrested within Sudan for trial in The Hague.
Ocampo however shows no sign of discouragement, this is evident in a statement he made assuring victims, "They will not be ignored...And the perpetrators will receive a clear message: There will be no impunity," as reported by Fox News.
President Omar al-Bashar is the only sitting state of head to be indicted for charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The United Nations recorded at least 300,000 people dead and more than 4 million forcibly displaced over the past decade in the Darfur genocide.
The war in Darfur started in 2003 as a conflict between rebel groups and the military & government, which later led to civil war. The Sudanese government is accused of assisting a pro-military group called Janjaweed. The war resulted in tremendous damage to human life. In 2006 the Darfur Peace Agreement was signed between the government and the rebels and another peace treaty in 2012, the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD), was signed. The agreement established a compensation fun for victims and also a regional authority until a referendum determines permanent authority.
