African Union backs plan for Darfur hybrid war crimes court

Oct 30, 2009, 9:32 GMT

Nairobi/Abuja - The African Union has backed a plan to create a special hybrid court for trying those accused of committing atrocities in Sudan's restive Darfur province.

The AU's Peace and Security Council - which met Thursday in Nigeria - endorsed the proposal, made by a panel headed by former South African president Thabo Mbeki, to create a court comprised of both international and Sudanese judges.

The conflict in Darfur began in 2003 when mainly non-Arab tribesmen took up arms against what they called decades of neglect and discrimination by the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum.

The UN says up to 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced by the conflict. The Sudanese government claims only around 10,000 have died.

The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, accusing him of war crimes in Darfur.

While backing Mbeki's plan, the AU once again called on the ICC to withdraw the warrant 'in the interest of peace, justice and reconciliation.'

However, New York-based Human Rights Watch said that any hybrid court should complement the ICC's work.

'A hybrid court and national law reforms could potentially help, but not substitute the ICC's cases,' Richard Dicker, International Justice Program director at HRW, said in a statement.