Haskanita raids
Encyclopedia
The Haskanita raids was an attack on African Union peacekeepers
by rebel groups during the Darfur conflict
. The attacks took place on 30 September and early October 2007 near the town of Haskanita in South Darfur
. Three rebel commanders were arrested for the attacks on warrants issued by the International Criminal Court
.
started in 2003 when two rebels groups took up arms against the Sudanese government. The Justice and Equality Movement
(JEM) and Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) claimed that the government discriminated against black Africans in favor of Arabs. Local Arab Janjaweed
militias intervened on the side of the government. Following an initial ceasefire in 2004, African Union
peacekeepers were deployed as the African Union Mission in Sudan
. (AMIS) AMIS established a base in Haskanita, in Um Kadada District, North Darfur
province and 100 km northeast of Ed Daein.
In November 2006 the area around Haskanita was taken over from the SLA by the National Redemption Front
- a splinter group from the JEM. Aid agencies suspended their operations in the neighbouring districts of Ed Daein and Adila.
base, killing 12 peackeepers, including seven from Nigeria
and one each from Mali
, Senegal
and Botswana
, and wounded many more. A further 50 personnel were initially unaccounted for, but later found. The attack occurred just after sunset, and came amid increasing tensions and violence between the separatist rebels and AMIS peacekeepers, who the rebels accused of bias towards the central government. Survivors said the rebels used heavy weaponry to attack the AMIS base, including rocket-propelled grenades and armored vehicles. Sudan's army and Darfur rebel movements initially blamed each other for the attack.
forces, headquartering a full 800-strong battalion. Although it has yet to be confirmed, unnamed sources in Khartoum
claimed the fires were set by AU forces and Janjaweed
militia in retaliation for the attacks in late September.
had been referred by the UN Security Council in 2005 to the International Criminal Court
and the Chief Prosecutor had opened an investigation into crimes related to the conflict.
In July 2008, the Chief Prosecutor said he knew who were the perpetrators of the Haskanita raids, and he was committed to prosecuting them. In November 2008, he requested arrest warrants for three rebel commanders from the Justice and Equality Movement
for these attacks. One of these — Bahr Idriss Abu Garda
— voluntarily surrendered to the court in May 2009. However, charges were dropped in February 2010 when judges ruled the prosecutor could not prove he had planned the attack. The other two commanders - Abdallah Banda Abakaer Nourain and Saleh Mohammed Jerbo Jamus - surrendered to the court in June 2010 and were charged with three counts of war crime
s:
Nourain led a splinter group from the Justice and Equality Movement
and Jerbo led the Sudanese Liberation Army - Unity faction. Abu Garda led the United Resistance Front, another splinter group from the JEM.
African Union Mission in Sudan
The African Union Mission in Sudan was an African Union peacekeeping force operating primarily in the country's western region of Darfur with the aim of performing peacekeeping operations related to the Darfur conflict. Originally founded in 2004, with a force of 150 troops, by mid-2005, its...
by rebel groups during the Darfur conflict
Darfur conflict
The Darfur Conflict was a guerrilla conflict or civil war centered on the Darfur region of Sudan. It began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and Justice and Equality Movement groups in Darfur took up arms, accusing the Sudanese government of oppressing non-Arab Sudanese in...
. The attacks took place on 30 September and early October 2007 near the town of Haskanita in South Darfur
South Darfur
South Darfur is one of the 15 wilayat or states of Sudan. It is one of the three states that compose the region of Darfur in western Sudan. It has an area of and an estimated population of approximately 2,890,000 . Nyala is the capital of the state. The State was affected by the 2010 Sahel...
. Three rebel commanders were arrested for the attacks on warrants issued by the International Criminal Court
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...
.
Background
The Darfur conflictDarfur conflict
The Darfur Conflict was a guerrilla conflict or civil war centered on the Darfur region of Sudan. It began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and Justice and Equality Movement groups in Darfur took up arms, accusing the Sudanese government of oppressing non-Arab Sudanese in...
started in 2003 when two rebels groups took up arms against the Sudanese government. The Justice and Equality Movement
Justice and Equality Movement
The Justice and Equality Movement is a rebel group involved in the Darfur conflict of Sudan, led by Khalil Ibrahim. Along with other rebel groups, such as the Sudan Liberation Movement , they are fighting against the Sudanese Government, including the government's proxy militia, the Janjaweed...
(JEM) and Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) claimed that the government discriminated against black Africans in favor of Arabs. Local Arab Janjaweed
Janjaweed
The Janjaweed is a blanket term used to describe mostly gunmen in Darfur, western Sudan, and now eastern Chad...
militias intervened on the side of the government. Following an initial ceasefire in 2004, African Union
African Union
The African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity...
peacekeepers were deployed as the African Union Mission in Sudan
African Union Mission in Sudan
The African Union Mission in Sudan was an African Union peacekeeping force operating primarily in the country's western region of Darfur with the aim of performing peacekeeping operations related to the Darfur conflict. Originally founded in 2004, with a force of 150 troops, by mid-2005, its...
. (AMIS) AMIS established a base in Haskanita, in Um Kadada District, North Darfur
North Darfur
North Darfur is one of the 15 wilayat or states of Sudan. It is one of the three states composing the Darfur region. It has an area of 296,420 km² and an estimated population of approximately 1,583,000 . Al-Fashir is the capital of the state...
province and 100 km northeast of Ed Daein.
In November 2006 the area around Haskanita was taken over from the SLA by the National Redemption Front
National Redemption Front
The National Redemption Front is an alliance of fighting groups in Darfur. According to their foundation declaration, the NRF consists of the Justice and Equality Movement , a holdout faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement and the Sudan Federal Democratic Alliance...
- a splinter group from the JEM. Aid agencies suspended their operations in the neighbouring districts of Ed Daein and Adila.
First raid
On 30 September 2007 approximately 1,000 rebels attacked an AMISAfrican Union Mission in Sudan
The African Union Mission in Sudan was an African Union peacekeeping force operating primarily in the country's western region of Darfur with the aim of performing peacekeeping operations related to the Darfur conflict. Originally founded in 2004, with a force of 150 troops, by mid-2005, its...
base, killing 12 peackeepers, including seven from Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
and one each from Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
, Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
and Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
, and wounded many more. A further 50 personnel were initially unaccounted for, but later found. The attack occurred just after sunset, and came amid increasing tensions and violence between the separatist rebels and AMIS peacekeepers, who the rebels accused of bias towards the central government. Survivors said the rebels used heavy weaponry to attack the AMIS base, including rocket-propelled grenades and armored vehicles. Sudan's army and Darfur rebel movements initially blamed each other for the attack.
Second raid
The town of Haskanita was attacked again in early October, and most of it was set on fire. Following the attack, few buildings remained intact, including the town's mosque and school. The ruins still act as a base for African UnionAfrican Union
The African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity...
forces, headquartering a full 800-strong battalion. Although it has yet to be confirmed, unnamed sources in Khartoum
Khartoum
Khartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...
claimed the fires were set by AU forces and Janjaweed
Janjaweed
The Janjaweed is a blanket term used to describe mostly gunmen in Darfur, western Sudan, and now eastern Chad...
militia in retaliation for the attacks in late September.
International Criminal Court investigation
The Darfur conflictDarfur conflict
The Darfur Conflict was a guerrilla conflict or civil war centered on the Darfur region of Sudan. It began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and Justice and Equality Movement groups in Darfur took up arms, accusing the Sudanese government of oppressing non-Arab Sudanese in...
had been referred by the UN Security Council in 2005 to the International Criminal Court
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...
and the Chief Prosecutor had opened an investigation into crimes related to the conflict.
In July 2008, the Chief Prosecutor said he knew who were the perpetrators of the Haskanita raids, and he was committed to prosecuting them. In November 2008, he requested arrest warrants for three rebel commanders from the Justice and Equality Movement
Justice and Equality Movement
The Justice and Equality Movement is a rebel group involved in the Darfur conflict of Sudan, led by Khalil Ibrahim. Along with other rebel groups, such as the Sudan Liberation Movement , they are fighting against the Sudanese Government, including the government's proxy militia, the Janjaweed...
for these attacks. One of these — Bahr Idriss Abu Garda
Bahr Idriss Abu Garda
Bahr Idriss Abu Garda is the leader of the United Resistance Front, a rebel group fighting against the Sudanese government in Darfur...
— voluntarily surrendered to the court in May 2009. However, charges were dropped in February 2010 when judges ruled the prosecutor could not prove he had planned the attack. The other two commanders - Abdallah Banda Abakaer Nourain and Saleh Mohammed Jerbo Jamus - surrendered to the court in June 2010 and were charged with three counts of war crime
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
s:
- murderMurderMurder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
- pillage
- Attacking peacekeepersPeacekeepingPeacekeeping is an activity that aims to create the conditions for lasting peace. It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....
Nourain led a splinter group from the Justice and Equality Movement
Justice and Equality Movement
The Justice and Equality Movement is a rebel group involved in the Darfur conflict of Sudan, led by Khalil Ibrahim. Along with other rebel groups, such as the Sudan Liberation Movement , they are fighting against the Sudanese Government, including the government's proxy militia, the Janjaweed...
and Jerbo led the Sudanese Liberation Army - Unity faction. Abu Garda led the United Resistance Front, another splinter group from the JEM.