Bahr Idriss Abu Garda is the leader of the United Resistance Front, a rebel group fighting against the
SudanSudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
ese government in
DarfurThe Darfur Conflict was a guerrilla conflict or civil war centered on the Darfur region of Sudan. It began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and Justice and Equality Movement groups in Darfur took up arms, accusing the Sudanese government of oppressing non-Arab Sudanese in...
. He is a former commander of the
Justice and Equality MovementThe Justice and Equality Movement is a rebel group involved in the Darfur conflict of Sudan, led by Khalil Ibrahim. Along with other rebel groups, such as the Sudan Liberation Movement , they are fighting against the Sudanese Government, including the government's proxy militia, the Janjaweed...
.
Abu Garda was summonsed to appear before the
International Criminal CourtThe International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...
for alleged
war crimeWar crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
s relating to a
2007 attackThe Haskanita raids was an attack on African Union peacekeepers by rebel groups during the Darfur conflict. The attacks took place on 30 September and early October 2007 near the town of Haskanita in South Darfur...
in which twelve
African Union peacekeepersThe African Union Mission in Sudan was an African Union peacekeeping force operating primarily in the country's western region of Darfur with the aim of performing peacekeeping operations related to the Darfur conflict. Originally founded in 2004, with a force of 150 troops, by mid-2005, its...
were killed. He is the first person ever to appear voluntarily before the ICC, and the first person to appear before the court in connection with the
war in DarfurThe Darfur Conflict was a guerrilla conflict or civil war centered on the Darfur region of Sudan. It began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and Justice and Equality Movement groups in Darfur took up arms, accusing the Sudanese government of oppressing non-Arab Sudanese in...
. He denies the allegations against him and says "I am looking forward to clear my name from this case because I am sure ... that absolutely I am not guilty". The hearing to confirm the charges against him was held from 19 - 29 October 2009, ending in a decision by the judges not to confirm the charges
Biography
Abu Garda was born in Nana,
North DarfurNorth Darfur is one of the 15 wilayat or states of Sudan. It is one of the three states composing the Darfur region. It has an area of 296,420 km² and an estimated population of approximately 1,583,000 . Al-Fashir is the capital of the state...
,
SudanSudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
and is a member of the Zaghawa tribe.
From January 2005 to September 2007, he was vice-president of the
Justice and Equality MovementThe Justice and Equality Movement is a rebel group involved in the Darfur conflict of Sudan, led by Khalil Ibrahim. Along with other rebel groups, such as the Sudan Liberation Movement , they are fighting against the Sudanese Government, including the government's proxy militia, the Janjaweed...
(JEM), an armed Islamist group which fought against the Sudanese government and pro-government militia groups in Darfur. He split with the JEM and on 4 October 2007 he participated in the formation of a new armed group called the JEM Collective Leadership.
As of May 2009, he is the leader of the United Resistance Front (URF), another rebel group.
International Criminal Court prosecution
On 20 November 2008, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, presented evidence to the court alleging that Abu Garda and two other rebel commanders were guilty of
war crimeWar crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
s in relation to a
2007 operationThe Haskanita raids was an attack on African Union peacekeepers by rebel groups during the Darfur conflict. The attacks took place on 30 September and early October 2007 near the town of Haskanita in South Darfur...
in which about a thousand rebels surrounded and attacked a camp of
African Union peacekeepersThe African Union Mission in Sudan was an African Union peacekeeping force operating primarily in the country's western region of Darfur with the aim of performing peacekeeping operations related to the Darfur conflict. Originally founded in 2004, with a force of 150 troops, by mid-2005, its...
in Haskanita, Darfur, killing twelve of them.
On 7 May 2009, a Pre-Trial Chamber found that there were reasonable grounds to believe that Abu Garda was criminally responsible on three counts of
war crimeWar crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
s:
murderMurder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
,
pillagingLooting —also referred to as sacking, plundering, despoiling, despoliation, and pillaging—is the indiscriminate taking of goods by force as part of a military or political victory, or during a catastrophe, such as during war, natural disaster, or rioting...
, and intentionally directing attacks against personnel, installations, material, units or vehicles involved in a
peacekeepingPeacekeeping is an activity that aims to create the conditions for lasting peace. It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....
mission. The prosecutor submitted that an arrest warrant was unnecessary since Abu Garda had expressed his willingness to appear before the court, so the court issued a summons ordering him to appear before the court on 18 May 2009. Abu Garda flew to
The HagueThe Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
by commercial airliner on 17 May and became the first person ever to appear voluntarily before the ICC.
Abu Garda denies all the charges against him, and claims to be the victim of a dispute between the URF and the JEM, which has said it helped to collect evidence against him. He says "I am looking forward to clear my name from this case because I am sure ... that absolutely I am not guilty".
After his initial appearance before the court on 18 May 2009, he left the Netherlands to return to his soldiers. The hearing to confirm the charges against him took place from 19-29 October 2009, and ended with a decision not the confirm the charges. This concludes the legal proceedings against Abu Garda for the time being.
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