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As the four-year anniversary of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) issuance of the arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir approaches, efforts to achieve accountability for crimes committed in Darfur continue. The Pre-Trial Chamber of the ICC has thus far issued arrest warrants or summonses for seven individuals for alleged crimes committed in Darfur. Additionally, in December 2012, Fatou Bensouda, the ICC prosecutor, informed the United Nations Security Council that her office might pursue further investigations of individuals who may be responsible for attacks on civilians, attacks on the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), and the disruption of the delivery of humanitarian relief.

Meanwhile, dire humanitarian conditions persist in Darfur. Recent tribal clashes in North Darfur have left thousands displaced and have prompted UNAMID to undertake a massive humanitarian relief operation. Furthermore, many humanitarian organizations in Sudan have experienced problems accessing beneficiaries due to interference by governmental or security actors. In this context, questions have arisen about the priority that victims place on accountability relative to the vast array of humanitarian issues that victims face. Such questions are particularly crucial given that President Bashir’s decision — in reaction to the ICC arrest warrant — to expel several international humanitarian organizations from Sudan has led some actors to perceive a tension between humanitarian and accountability efforts.

This live web seminar will bring together experts to examine victims’ experiences in Darfur and to ascertain how international actors can best untangle victims’ complex and sometimes conflicting needs. In particular, the seminar will focus on the following questions:

• What importance do victims in Darfur attribute to accountability, especially given the prevalence of more immediate humanitarian concerns?
• To what extent do victims perceive humanitarian and accountability efforts to exist in tension with one another?
• What measures are likely to lead to accountability for violations of international law committed in Darfur?
• Through what modes and methods can international actors best understand the complex needs of affected populations?

Panelists:

• Andrew Cayley, UN Chief International Co-Prosecutor of the ECCC
• Dr. Patrick Vinck, Director, Program on Vulnerable Populations at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI)

Moderated by:

• Vincenzo Bollettino, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI)
• Rob Grace, Harvard Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research (HPCR)

Additional Resources

• "Sudan: United Nations and Partners Work Plan 2013," Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 2013.
• Fatou Bensouda, "Statement to the United Nations Security Council on the situation in Darfur, the Sudan, pursuant to UNSCR 1593 (2005)," 2012.
• Karoline R. Eckroth, "Humanitarian Principles and Protection Dilemmas: Addressing the Security Situation of Aid Workers in Darfur," Journal of International Peacekeeping, Vol. 14, No. 1-2 (2010).
• Mary T. Reynolds, "Legitimizing the ICC: Supporting the Court’s Prosecution of Those Responsible in Darfur," Third World Law Journal, Vol. 30 (2010).
• Karoline Eckroth, “The Protection of Aid Workers: Principled Protection and Humanitarian Security in Darfur,” NUPI Working Paper 770, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, 2010.
• Darfur and the ICC: Myths versus Reality, Human Rights Watch, 2009.
• Fabrice Weissman, “Humanitarian aid and the International Criminal Court: Grounds for divorce,” CRASH - Médecins Sans Frontières, 2009.
• Neil MacFarquhar and Marlise Simons, “Bashir Defies War Crime Arrest Order,” New York Times, March 5, 2009.
• Andrew T. Cayley, “The Prosecutor’s Strategy in Seeking the Arrest of Sudanese President Al Bashir on Charges of Genocide,” Journal of International Criminal Justice, Vol. 6 (2008).
• Abdullahi Osman El-Tom, “ From war to peace and reconciliation in Darfur, Sudan: Prospects for the Judiyya,” in Integrating Traditional and Modern Conflict Resolution: Experiences from Selected Cases in Eastern and the Horn of Africa, Africa Dialogue, Monograph Series No. 2/2012, 2012, p. 99-120.
• Steven C. Roach, “Humanitarian Emergencies and the International Criminal Court (ICC): Toward a Cooperative Arrangement between the ICC and UN Security Council,” International Studies Perspectives, Vol. 6, Issue 4 (2005).
• “Report of the International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur to the United Nations Secretary-General (2005),” 2005.