Prosector: Sudan's Darfur probe a coverup

WASHINGTON, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo says Sudan's intention to investigate itself on Darfur war crime allegations is a "coverup."

Ocampo, who is seeking an arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar Hassan Bashir, told the Sudan Tribune that a move by Bashir to allow the Sudanese judiciary to investigate allegations of genocide in Darfur wouldn't result in justice for the perpetrators.

"They end up investigating no one," Ocampo said, noting that an earlier effort by Sudan to investigate claims of genocide by government-backed militiamen against 2.5 million inhabitants of Darfur was led by Minister for Humanitarian Affairs Ahmed Haroun -- himself the subject of a war crimes arrest warrant request from Ocampo, as is militia commander Ali Kushayb.

"They even appointed Haroun to head a committee on Darfur human rights," Ocampo said. "This is part of the coverup and they have been saying this for years. The only individuals prosecuted are those who resist illegal instructions to attack people in Darfur such as pilots or soldiers."

The prosecutor said the Sudanese government is carrying out a "massive rape campaign" against Darfurian women living in refugee camps, and is hindering aid delivery, the newspaper said.