"Nothing has changed since last year", Sang-Hyun Song stated regarding the arrest of ICC's fugitives.
"Last year when I spoke to you, I expressed my deep concern over the fact that the ICC's arrest warrants for Joseph Kony and three other alleged commanders of the Lord's Resistance Army [in Uganda] had been outstanding for more than five years. Unfortunately, that still remains the situation », he said.
«The same applies to Bosco Ntaganda in DRC", he added. The ICC issued an arrest warrant against the former Congolese militiaman in August 2006. But Kinshasa has blatantly refused to cooperate in this case. Ntaganda is currently a General in the Congolese national army living, unperturbed, in the East of DRC.
Following Song's remarks, delegates took the floor to express their own concerns.
Sudan's representative Daffa-Alla Elhag found "astonishing" that, despite "major important positive developments" that had taken place in his country, especially in Darfur, the ICC report continued to be based "on purely political motivations and filled with inaccurate information". He added: "We find ourselves, once more, confronted with politics masquerading as law. Nothing is more dangerous than politicizing international justice".
Zenon Mukongo Ngay from the Democratic Republic of the Congo did not comment on Ntaganda's case, emphasizing on the contrary the fact that the DRC was the first State Party "to develop noteworthy cooperation with the Court, which could serve as a model for others". He also said that his country "supported a proposal for in situ trials, which would (...)prevent potential recidivism".
SM/ER/GF
© Hirondelle News Agency