It is reported that the high-level African Union (AU) panel appointed to help end the Darfur conflict is advocating a South African-style "truth and reconciliation commission" and special courts to try war crimes suspects in the region.

According to the newspaper Al-Sahafa, unidentified Sudanese government officials have said that the panel, headed by former South African president Thabo Mbeki, will recommend “home-grown justice mechanisms” as part of efforts to remedy to the situation in Darfur.

The reported proposal would constitute a "middle way" between prosecuting Sudanese government officials at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague and granting them effective immunity.

ICC investigated alleged crimes in Darfur on the basis of a mandate, issued in 2005, by the United Nations Security Council and arrests warrants were issued by the court for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and two other senior officials on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity arising out of the Darfur conflict.

However, this year, the AU summit, apparently under heavy pressure from Libya, decided not to cooperate with the ICC in arresting the Sudanese leaders. The Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who chaired discussion of the matter, has been held responsible by Botswana for allowing little debate.

The Sudan Tribune reported Tuesday that Mbeki had lobbied intensively to prevent the summit from taking its stand, arguing that it would undermine the work of his panel.

Sudanese officials suggested that "all people would be equally treated before the judiciary"  since the panel would recommend "special or hybrid courts and a prosecutor in Sudan" to bring Darfur war crimes suspects to trial.
 

But Darfur rebel groups told the Tribune that Mbeki's panel was trying to circumvent the ICC.
 

"We reject in its entirety any direction to establish courts or venues for justice in the manner described in this report. This is nothing short [of]... an attempt to find an exit for Bashir. Only the ICC can handle the Darfur prosecutions." Ahmed Hussein, spokesman for the Justice and Equality Movement said.
 

Other members of the AU panel include the former Nigerian president, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, former Burundian president Pierre Buyoya and Zambia's Justice Florence Mumba.

Source: All Africa

Photo: hdptcar (Flickr CC)