Darfur: Sudanese judges to sit
2010-02-09 08:05
Nairobi - Sudanese judges must sit with foreign judges in a court to hear alleged war crimes committed in Darfur, in a move to inspire confidence that justice will be served, an African Union panel said Monday.
The renewed call for a "hybrid court" came after International Criminal Court announced last week it would consider adding genocide charges to an arrest warrant for President Omar el-Beshir over Darfur.
The African Union has repeatedly charged that executing the charges against Beshir risks unravelling peace efforts in Sudan.
The AU panel probing alleged war crimes in the war-torn western Sudanese province of Darfur reiterated a call made in December that Sudanese judges must be present at any trials.
"The court will be made up of Sudanese judges who will be joined by judges who will be appointed by the AU," said panel member and former South African president Thabo Mbeki.
"There will be that kind of court which will then inspire confidence among the people of Darfur that justice will be done," he told reporters in Nairobi.
The United Nations says up to 300 000 people have died and 2.7 million fled their homes since ethnic minority rebels in Darfur first rose up against the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum in February 2003.
The panel on Darfur has also suggested that a truth and reconciliation commission be established as part of a peace process that that reparations for losses incurred during the ongoing conflict should be considered.