"The situation in Darfur is at present one of our primary challenges" said Prosecutor Moreno-Ocampo. "President Wade and the other African leaders have responsibilities in Darfur that are of a political nature. My mandate is a legal one.

My duty is to uncover the truth about the crimes. It is African women that are being raped in Darfur. It is African children that are being killed in Darfur. It is African peacekeepers that are dying in Darfur. It is therefore the countries within the region that may be able to resolve this situation" he said. "Each of us has our own role to play but we all share a common goal: protecting the victims, stopping the crimes, ending impunity".

While in Senegal, Prosecutor Moreno-Ocampo also met with other key national Senegalese officials and visited the former African slave port and UN world heritage centre on Gorée Island off the coast of Dakar.

Deputy ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda was in Botswana where she met with President Festus Mogae and Attorney General Athalia Molokomme as well as the Ministers responsible for Justice, Defence and Security. Mrs. Bensouda was in Gabarone to participate in the SADC Lawyers' Association Annual Conference, to discuss how the ICC and SADC lawyers can work together on regional and international justice issues.

The Botswana authorities confirmed to Deputy Prosecutor Bensouda their full support for all the activities of the International Criminal Court.

The International Criminal Court is an independent, permanent court that investigates and prosecutes persons accused of the most serious crimes of international concern, namely genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes if national authorities with jurisdiction are unwilling or unable to do so genuinely. The Office of the Prosecutor is currently investigating in four situations: The Democratic Republic of Congo, Northern Uganda, the Darfur region of Sudan, and the Central African Republic, all still engulfed in various degrees of conflict with victims in urgent need of protection.



From reliefweb.int