Sarah Jane Fowler is an intern with the Coalition’s Middle East and North Africa Regional Section.

On 14 April, Dismas Nkunda, Co-Director of the Kampala-based International Refugee Rights Initiative spoke in New York on the humanitarian situation in Sudan and Chad following the ICC’s 4 March 2009 arrest warrant for Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir, the president of Sudan.

Nkunda spoke of the continued targeting of Sudanese civil society organizations and activists, forcing some organizations as venerable as the Khartoum Centre to the brink of closure.

In response to reports that African states parties to the ICC may consider pulling out of the Court in early June, Nkunda warned that such actions would mark the “beginning of the end of the ICC.” He said one of the most influential opponents of the Al-Bashir arrest warrant to watch is Jean Ping, Gabonese diplomat and Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union. He stressed the importance of targeting South Africa, Libya, Nigeria, Algeria and Egypt - which wield the most influence and account for nearly 75% of all AU funding and identified the AU Peace and Security Council, Arab League, and Organisation of the Islamic Conference as important regional bodies that need to come down on the side of justice. Nigeria, Liberia, Ghana, Botswana, and Zambia should also be targeted for support.

The AU seemingly wants to keep Al-Bashir, Kushayb and Haroun, and even the rebels on their side in order to focus on the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. The more pressure there is on the Sudanese government, the less room to manoeuvre and move the CPA and entire political process along. Nkunda noted that rebel support for the arrest warrant is likely as it represents a tool to delegitimize the President’s authority.

Nkunda ended his remarks on a sobering note, saying that resources for raising awareness of the ICC mandate are limited by the day-to-day realities on the ground and the people’s legitimate concerns for their own safety in Sudan.