The ICC prosecutor criticised Sudan
authorities for their investigations
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The prosecutor of the
International Criminal Court says he has documented evidence
of thousands of killings of civilians in Sudan's Darfur
region.
Luis Moreno Ocampo, investigating alleged crimes against
humanity, says the killings include large-scale massacres
and hundreds of rapes.
In a report to the UN, he also criticised Sudan's own
investigations.
The report is seen as significant as the court may only
prosecute if Sudan has not provided justice for victims.
Investigators from the ICC have not been able to travel
to Darfur but they have managed to collect information about
thousands of alleged murders in the western region of Sudan.
Unveiling his report, Mr Ocampo told the BBC his team had
faced "serious obstacles".
He added: "We are now entering a new phase where
unconditional co-operation will be essential to complete the
investigation and identify those most responsible for crimes
committed in Darfur."
Prosecutions
A "Darfur crimes database", collated by investigators
from the court, lists thousands of alleged murders,
including massacres of hundreds of people at a time.
Eyewitnesses recounted the attackers saying things like:
"We will drive you out of this land".
Mr Ocampo's report to the UN Security Council says some
two million people have been displaced by violence in
Darfur.
The first few months of 2006 saw increases in people
forced from their homes in several areas of Darfur marked by
increased violence, according to the document.
The Khartoum authorities insist they are continuing to
set up courts and that the Sudanese judiciary will
investigate allegations of abuse, but the ICC prosecutor
says they do not appear to have done that.
But Mr Ocampo adds that the government has agreed to
interviews with officials, to begin in August this year.
Violence
Some 200,000 people are thought to have died in Darfur, a
vast region in the west of Sudan, in a three-year conflict.
Most have died in attacks by pro-government militias
against civilians.
Rebel forces took up arms in February 2003, accusing the
government of discriminating against Darfur's black Africans
in favour of Arabs.
A partial peace deal was agreed in May, but not all sides
signed the agreement and fears have grown over worsening
conditions in camps home to displaced people.
The International Criminal Court was set up by the UN in
2002 to prosecute individuals for war crimes, genocide and
crimes against humanity.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5081378.stm