ICC warns world cannot ignore warnings of new atrocities in Sudan

New Delhi ( The Indian View team) : The International Criminal Court warned the UN Security Council on Wednesday of the likelihood of new atrocities being committed in Sudan’s Darfur region, urging member states to act immediately to prevent a repeat of the mass crimes that first prompted the court’s intervention two decades ago.

Nazhat Khan, the ICC’s deputy prosecutor, said the court shared the assessment of the UN Human Rights office that the gravest international crimes could soon occur in the Sudanese city of El-Obeid.

" We cannot say we did not know,” she said. “It is for this council and all states to act now, to prevent further atrocities.”

The warning came as Security Council members offered differing views on how accountability should be pursued. China called for caution, saying allegations of international crimes were highly sensitive and should be handled strictly in accordance with facts and the law, while respecting Sudan’s judicial sovereignty.

The US renewed its opposition to the ICC, with Deputy Representative Jeffrey Bartos arguing that the court had overstepped its mandate by asserting jurisdiction over states that are not party to the Rome Statute.