ISS Seminar: Outlaws on Camelback: State and Individual Responsibility for Serious Violations of International Law in Darfur

Date: 2007-07-09 to Invalid date

ISS Seminar: Outlaws on Camelback: State and Individual Responsibility for Serious Violations of International Law in Darfur
Pretoria, 9 July 2007

The humanitarian catastrophe in the Darfur region of Sudan continues to exacerbate, notwithstanding the presence of the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS), and in spite of regional and international political, as well as diplomatic pressure, to gain entry for the deployment of a UN force to protect the vulnerable civilian population.

On the ground in Darfur, serious violations of international law, including International Human Rights and Humanitarian Laws, have been perpetrated by all sides to the conflict, posing a challenge to international efforts to prevent another ‘genocide’ in Darfur. In his regard, the Rwandan genocide of 1994 conjures up terrifying images.

Against this grim background, Dr. Alhaji Marong has taken exception to the complicity of rebel movements in the violations and has advanced compelling arguments that the state of Sudan and individuals acting on its behalf, as well as the proxy Janjaweed militia, should be held liable under international law for the serious violations. He therefore makes the case that those violations fall within the jurisdiction of the Rome Statute of 1998, establishing the International Criminal Court.

The seminar will provide a platform to launch the paper bearing the same title. In so doing, it will also seek to provide an appropriate platform for the author to advance his key arguments and findings that: under international law, the state of Sudan, individuals acting on its behalf and proxy militia, are responsible for serious violations of international law in Darfur. The discourse aims to remain engaged with the elusive search for concrete action to prevent genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, wherever they may occur in the world.

Speaker: Dr. Alhaji Marong: Dr. Marong is a Legal Officer at the Chambers Support Section of the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (UN-ICTR), Arusha, Tanzania. Prior to this, he was a Co-Director for Africa at the Environmental Law Institute in Washington D.C., taught international law at the American University of Armenia and served as Senior State Counsel at the Ministry of Justice in The Gambia. He has consulted for the Law Reform Commission of The Gambia and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. Dr. Marong holds a LL.B (Hons.) and B.L from the University of Sierra Leone, and LL.M (Hons.), and D.C.L. degrees from McGill University, in Canada.

Respondent: Mr. Ahmed C. Motala: Executive Director, Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation

Date: Monday, 9 July 2007
Time: 14:00-15:30 hrs (preceded by finger lunch at 13:30 hrs)

Venue: ISS Conference Room, Block C, Brooklyn Court, 361 Veale Street, New Muckleneuk
(Parking in Brooklyn Mall and ABSA court)

RSVP: Ms Nosipho Ndlazulwana, Email: [email protected], Tel: (012) 346-9500, Fax: (012) 460-0997 / 8

The seminar is organised under the auspices of the Training for Peace (TfP) Programme in Africa