A Chinese envoy on Thursday called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to exercise its powers in accordance with law and respect Sudan's judicial sovereignty when dealing with the Darfur referral.
Twenty years ago, the Security Council adopted a resolution to refer the situation of Sudan's Darfur region to the ICC. When going about its work, the ICC should strictly abide by the complementary jurisdiction principle of the Rome Statute, stay independent, objective and impartial, and follow the letter and spirit of the relevant Security Council resolutions without improper interpretation thereof, said Sun Lei, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.
When processing any international or regional hot-spot issues, equal and uniform application of international law by the ICC is imperative, so is the need not to apply double standards or exceptionalism, he told the Security Council.
The ICC should work more closely with national governments. When processing the Sudan dossier, the court should fully respect Sudan's judicial sovereignty and reasonable opinion, maintain close communication and cooperation with the Sudanese government, and refrain from undue interference, said Sun.
The conflict in Sudan is now in its third year, with alarming devastation and a deteriorating humanitarian situation. Faster actions and greater mediation efforts at the international level are needed to bring about an immediate ceasefire, alleviate the humanitarian plight, and search for a political solution through dialogue and negotiation, he said.
Meanwhile, Sudan should also be supported in strengthening its judicial system and capacity building, so that it is better equipped to be self-reliant in the fight against impunity, he added.
China remains committed to contributing constructively to solving the issue of Sudan alongside the international community, said Sun.
Nazhat Shameem Khan, deputy prosecutor of the ICC, said that against the backdrop of a series of ongoing violations in Sudan, including famine, rape and sexual violence and abductions for ransom, the Office of the Prosecutor has "reasonable grounds to believe that war crimes and crimes against humanity have been and are continuing to be committed in Darfur."
She called on the international community to beef up cooperation to arrest those responsible for these heinous acts, so as to bring justice and peace for the local people.
At the daily press briefing, Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said that the country's cholera outbreak continues to worsen, warning that the outbreak is being fueled by ongoing conflict, mass displacement and the collapse of public health and water systems.
He said that UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher had allocated five million U.S. dollars earlier that day to support the urgent response efforts; however, another 50 million dollars are required to sustain cholera response operations through the end of 2025.
Since July last year, Sudanese health authorities have reported more than 84,000 suspected cholera cases and over 2,100 deaths across 17 of Sudan's 18 states, with upwards of 33,000 cases recorded this year alone, according to the spokesman.
Chinese envoy calls on ICC to respect Sudan's judicial sovereignty
