Darfur: ICC names first suspects

The International Criminal Court8217;s prosecutor on Tuesday linked Sudan8217;s government to atrocities in Darfur, naming a junior minister as a war crimes suspect who helped recruit, arm and bankroll the murderous janjaweed fighters.

Ahmed Muhammed Harun, the former junior interior minister responsible for western Darfur, and a janjaweed militia leader, Ali Mohammed Ali Abd-al-Rahman, were suspected of a total of 51 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said.

Nick Grono, of the International Crisis Group think tank, said in a statement that the prosecutor8217;s focus on a minister was 8220;a clear indication that the government of Sudan 8212; at senior levels 8212; has played the central role in planning and carrying out the atrocities in Darfur.8221;

Sudan8217;s justice minister, Mohammed Ali al-Mardi, rejected the allegations and said Khartoum would not hand them over for trial.