It is "a black day” in the battle against impunity, said the Society for Threatened Peoples STP (Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker GfbV) on Thursday. "With their decision to send the heads of the UNMIS and UNAMID Peace Mission in Sudan to the inauguration ceremony of the Sudanese President, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, the United Nations have caused serious damage to the efforts for justice for the people in Darfur”, said the STP Africa consultant, Ulrich Delius. "But the Europeans are also miles away from sending out a clear signal of support for the battle against impunity. "Right up to the last minute they are struggling for clarity in the capitals of Europe on how the European Union is to be represented at the controversial celebrations in Khartoum.”

"The EU must decide between justice and real-world politics”, said Delius. "Europe is losing its credibility if the EU foreign ministers in a joint statement first assure the International Criminal Court (ICC) of their support and then two days later send their ambassadors to the inauguration of President Bashir, who is wanted by the ICC.”

It was only last night that the ICC called on the Security Council to pronounce officially Sudan's lack of cooperation in the prosecution of war criminals in Darfur. Right up to today the Sudanese authorities have refused to support the ICC in carrying out the warrants for the arrest of former minister Ahmed Haroun and the leader of the militia, Ali Kushayb. Warrants were issued for both of them on 27th April 2007 for crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur.

The half-hearted support of the United Nations and the EU for the ICC is all the more problematical in that 111 signatories to the Court will be discussing the continuation of the work of the ICC at a high-level conference in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, on 31st May 2010. "Without the political will of the signatories to putting a stop to immunity the ICC cannot bring to justice persons responsible for the most serious violations of human rights”, said Delius. Several of the African signatories have condemned the warrant for Bashir's arrest. For this reason leading African politicians will be attending his inauguration.

Ulrich Delius can be reached at asien@gfbv.de