ICC

Quote: ICC says Darfur evidence enough to prosecute Thu Nov 23, 2006 11:10 AM GMT By Nicola Leske THE HAGUE (Reuters) - The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor has nearly completed an investigation into war crimes in Sudan's Darfur region and has sufficient evidence to file charges soon, he said on Thursday. "Based on a careful and thorough source evaluation of all the evidence collected, we were able to identify the gravest incidents and some of those who could be considered to be the most criminally responsible," Luis Moreno-Ocampo said in a speech to the annual meeting of the court's member states. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and 2.5 million forced from their homes in three years of conflict in Darfur, a remote region of western Sudan where the U.S. government says genocide is taking place. Khartoum rejects the charge. Moreno-Ocampo said the crimes committed include persecution, torture, rape and murder. Jan Egeland, the top U.N. humanitarian official accused Sudan on Wednesday of deliberately hindering relief aid in Darfur, attacking villages and arming Arab militia to combat rebels and bandits. The United Nations, Sudan and the African Union (AU), which has fielded a 7,000-member force, agreed in principle in Addis Ababa last week on a beefed-up AU force with extensive U.N. support. Sudan had previously ruled out a big U.N. role in Darfur, concerned that its forces may try to enforce ICC warrants. Before the prosecution submits the evidence to ICC judges, the office of the prosecutor will assess whether Sudan's government is conducting its own judicial proceedings on the same incidents and persons, Moreno-Ocampo said. Under the treaty that set up the ICC in 2002, the Hague-based court cannot prosecute suspects who have already been tried in fair trials in their home countries. "I plan to have collected this information by the beginning of December," Moreno-Ocampo said. U.S.-based Human Rights Watch has charged that Khartoum set up the court to head off the ICC investigation and tried just 13 criminal cases unconnected to Darfur since the court was formed in June 2005. The ICC was set up as the first permanent global war crimes court to try individuals and issued its first warrants last year for leaders of Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), who have led 20 years of war. The LRA has signed a truce with the government but the LRA has repeatedly said it will not sign a final peace deal unless the ICC indictments against its leaders are dropped. Moreno-Ocampo said the government of Uganda had reiterated it understood its obligations and that arresting LRA commanders would "prevent recurrent violence and provide justice to the victims." "The victims have a right to peace, security and justice," he said