Last week, the Sudanese government attacked the Kalma refugee camp in south Darfur, killing dozens and wounding more than 100 people.
News of this attack coincided with reports that members of the U.N. Security Council may try to let Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir off the hook for his crimes.
Any day now, the Security Council may seek to invoke Article 16, a provision that can suspend the International Criminal Court's proceedings against al-Bashir. We can't let al-Bashir escape accountability, and we don't have a moment to lose.
We can't wait for Article 16 to be invoked before we mount a campaign to stop it. Bashir has launched an aggressive propaganda campaign to escape justice. He's even trying to blackmail the global community by threatening to expel UNAMID peacekeepers if the ICC issues a warrant for his arrest.
But there is simply no justification for suspending the chief prosecutor's case against him. The minimum conditions required to even consider it simply have not been met:
There is no sustainable peace in Darfur;
Attacks on civilians, humanitarian workers and peacekeepers continue (as evidenced by the Kalma raid);
The UNAMID civilian protection force hasn't completely or effectively deployed.
We cannot back down on principles like justice and accountability. Not when it comes to a genocide with as many as 400,000 dead and 2.5 million more displaced.
World leaders, and the U.N. Security Council in particular, have already failed the people of Darfur in profound and inexcusable ways. Make sure they don't do it again: forward this email to your friends and family, and ask them to join this effort!
With your support, we will bring peace to Darfur and hold those responsible for this genocide accountable. Thank you.
