First two Darfur war crimes suspects named

THE HAGUE, Netherlands, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- A Sudanese government minister and a militia leader were named war crimes suspects Tuesday by the International Criminal Court at The Hague.

The court named Sudanese Humanitarian Affairs Minister Ahmed Haroun and Ali Muhammad Ali Abd al-Rahman, leader of a militia known as Janjaweed as suspects in the 4-year-old conflict in western Sudan's Darfur region.

Chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo requested summonses be issued for the suspects, as there was reason to believe they "bear criminal responsibility for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Darfur in 2003 and 2004," the BBC reported.

Sudan is not a signatory to the convention that recognizes the court and has said it will handle its own prosecution. However, the ICC claims the authority to prosecute if a country is unwilling or unable to do so.

Sudan has rejected the charges and said it will not hand over the suspects, the report said.

An estimated 200,000 people have died and more than 2 million others have fled their homes during the conflict between government-backed militias and anti-government rebels.