Darfur Rebel Chief Appears Before ICC Court

A Darfuri rebel chief who voluntarily surrendered last Sunday has appeared before an international war crimes court at The Hague. Bahar Idriss Abu Garda, the 46-year-old leader of the rebel United Resistance Front, emerged from a brief appearance at the court and declared his ‘innocence’ to journalists waiting outside. Abu Garda faces three counts of war crimes and has become the first person to appear before the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the conflict in Sudan’s western region of Darfur. The ICC has also issued a warrant of arrest against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir over the six-year conflict, in which UN estimates say 300,000 ethnic Darfuris have been killed. [PE]