NEW YORK, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Preparations for a January referendum in Sudan shouldn't overshadow an international investigation into possible war crimes in Darfur, Human Rights Watch said.
Richard Dicker, an international justice director at Human Rights Watch, said members of the U.N. Security Council should press Sudan on its human rights record despite the political distractions of the January measure.
"Security Council members shouldn't let Sudan's upcoming vote detract from the government's obligation to cooperate with the International Criminal Court on Darfur," he said in a statement. "Turning a blind eye to justice can cause instability down the road."
Fighting between government and rebel forces has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians in the Darfur region this year. The Security Council referred Sudan to the ICC in 2005 for atrocities committed in Darfur, a move that resulted in arrest warrants for militia leaders and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.
Sudan is preparing for a January referendum that would let South Sudan consider self-determination as part of a comprehensive peace agreement reached in 2005. The agreement helped bring an end to more than 20 years of civil war.
Voter registration for South Sudan ended Wednesday. Election officials lauded the huge turnout, though worries linger on the feasibility of the measure.
