June 25: African Civic Leaders, Nobel Laureates and Justice Experts Urge African Union Leaders to Support International Criminal Court Process in Sudan
African civil society leaders, Nobel Laureates, and justice experts from across the
continent are uniting ahead of the African Union summit, to call for action on the crisis in
Sudan. In particular, the leaders are supporting the work of the International Criminal
Court (ICC), and calling for humanitarian access.
The statement, signed by Nobel Laureates Wangari Maathai (Peace, 2004), Archbishop
Desmond Tutu (Peace, 1984), and Wole Soyinka (Literature, 1986), as well as 39 other
prominent African experts, emphasizes that the ICC plays a critical role in achieving the
objectives of “justice and accountability for the peoples of Sudan.”
“The people of Darfur deserve more than negotiating warlords forgiving
each other for the violence – including brutal sexual violence – they have
perpetrated primarily against women, children and other non-combatants.”
The signatories call for accountability and urge African political leaders to dramatically
step up efforts to negotiate an end to the violence in Darfur, and ensure that all parties to
the conflict, including the government, armed groups, and especially women who have
been building the path to peace, are at the peace table.
The statement comes on the heels of an Opinion Editorial piece penned by Maathai,
Soyinka, and Archbishop Tutu, which was published in Jeune Afrique and other African
media.
Read the statement in English here.
In French.
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