On July 14, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) requested a warrant for the arrest of Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir on charges of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. In the ICC’s first ever attempt to indict a sitting head of state, prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has stated that he has sufficient evidence to affirm long-standing accusations against Bashir regarding his role in the campaign of rape, murder, and pillage in Darfur. Ocampo told the ICC, “The prosecution evidence shows that al-Bashir masterminded and implemented a plan to destroy in substantial part the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa groups. ... His alibi was a 'counterinsurgency'. His intent was genocide.”

AFJN applauds the United States presidential candidates for taking a rare step among presidential candidates – issuing a joint statement expressing a unified perspective. In this case, the candidates expressed their commitment to resolving the conflict in Sudan.

The Darfur region of Western Sudan has not enjoyed peace since an uprising by Darfurian rebels resulted in a bloody conflict with government-backed Janjaweed militias more than four years ago. According to the United Nations, more than 450,000 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless since the start of the conflict. The UN-backed peace talks are due to start in Tripoli on October 27th and all the parties involved in the conflict are expected to be represented.

The Sudanese president, Omar al-Bashir, met with Pope Benedict XV1 on Friday September 14 in Rome. "Very positive views were expressed concerning fresh peace negotiations for Darfur," the Vatican said following the 25-minute meeting.