Sudan appoints Darfur prosecutor

KHARTOUM (AFP) — Sudanese Justice Minister Abdul Basit Sabdarat has appointed a special prosecutor to probe alleged crimes in the war-torn western region of Darfur and with the power to take cases to court. The move came three weeks after the International Criminal Court chief prosecutor requested an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur. Sudan flatly refuses any recognition or dealings with the ICC. Instead Khartoum has pressed a diplomatic campaign to freeze any proceedings against Beshir and insists on the effectiveness of its own courts. "I have signed a decision to name a prosecutor for crimes in Darfur from 2003 until now," Sabdarat told reporters at his ministry Tuesday. "I have given him the authority to investigate these crimes and... [read full story]