From the Scotsman:
A formal investigation into allegations of war crimes in Sudan’s Darfur region is to be held by the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
The ICC has been analysing the situation in Darfur since the United Nations referred allegations of rape, murder and plunder to it in April, following a UN Security Council vote.
Officials confirmed yesterday that the ICC would take the case. Dozens of court officials have begun preparing for the investigation, which is regarded as the largest and most important yet to be handled by the fledgling body since it was established in July 2002.
Prosecutors are due to announce formally the decision to move forward on Darfur today, and Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the chief prosecutor, will brief the UN about his plans later this month in New York, the officials said.
I imagine that the women in the Darfur camps subject to gang rapes, with the imminent prospect of starvation after they’ve been driven from their land and all their male providers massacred, will be tremendously heartened to know that a formal investigation is to be started, with dozens of court officials already making preparations. Never let it be said that our international institutions don’t know how to respond to these crises.
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