10 February 2010
ICC Drops Charges against Darfur Rebel Leader
THE HAGUE, Netherlands
The International Criminal Court has dismissed the trial of a Sudanese rebel leader for war crimes due to lack of adequate evidence.
Unless the prosecution launches an appeal, Bahar Idriss Abu Garda, a commander of the rebel United Resistance Front (URF) from Darfur, will now walk free after being absolved of the charges, which included murder, pillaging and attacking a peacekeeping mission.
Last year, ICC indicted Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the country’s Western region of Darfur, where 300,000 people are estimated to have died in a civil war that started in 2003.[ER].