Mamdani raps Bashir indictment
Aug 26, 2009
THE indictment of Sudan President Omar el-Bashir, and LRA chief Joseph Kony by the International Criminal Court (ICC) will exacerbate, rather than calm violence on the continent, Prof. Mahmood Mamdani has said.
By Francis Kagolo and Susan Akidi
THE indictment of Sudan President Omar el-Bashir, and LRA chief Joseph Kony by the International Criminal Court (ICC) will exacerbate, rather than calm violence on the continent, Prof. Mahmood Mamdani has said.
“The way to address violence is not by criminalising perpetrators,†he said.
“We need to analyse why people are fighting. Find out the issues behind the endless civil wars and address them.â€
Mamdani said the ICC was dancing on the ‘tunes’ of Western states.
“The government of Sudan committed lesser atrocities in Darfur compared to what US President George Bush committed in Iraq. Why didn’t the ICC issue arrest warrants against Bush?†Mamdani asked.
He was speaking at a dialogue on lessons to learn from the Darfur conflict at Makerere University on Tuesday.
Mamdani, who is a professor of political science at the US Columbia University, said revenging is done by victims but not the elite and institutions like the ICC.
“The future of our children is more important than the criminalisation of individuals,†he added.
Although he acknowledged that both Bashir and Kony had committed atrocities, Mamdani said international NGOs had blown the Darfur conflict out of proportion.
“The rule of law cannot be introduced from outside. We are not yet back into colonialism. These NGOs must be accountable to African governments,†he stressed.
Bashir and Kony are wanted by the ICC for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The conflict in Darfur began in February 2003, and the UN says more than 400,000 people have died.
But Mamdani said the figure was exaggerated, mainly by the UN and the ICC, to criminalise Bashir.
THE indictment of Sudan President Omar el-Bashir, and LRA chief Joseph Kony by the International Criminal Court (ICC) will exacerbate, rather than calm violence on the continent, Prof. Mahmood Mamdani has said.
“The way to address violence is not by criminalising perpetrators,†he said.
“We need to analyse why people are fighting. Find out the issues behind the endless civil wars and address them.â€
Mamdani said the ICC was dancing on the ‘tunes’ of Western states.
“The government of Sudan committed lesser atrocities in Darfur compared to what US President George Bush committed in Iraq. Why didn’t the ICC issue arrest warrants against Bush?†Mamdani asked.
He was speaking at a dialogue on lessons to learn from the Darfur conflict at Makerere University on Tuesday.
Mamdani, who is a professor of political science at the US Columbia University, said revenging is done by victims but not the elite and institutions like the ICC.
“The future of our children is more important than the criminalisation of individuals,†he added.
Although he acknowledged that both Bashir and Kony had committed atrocities, Mamdani said international NGOs had blown the Darfur conflict out of proportion.
“The rule of law cannot be introduced from outside. We are not yet back into colonialism. These NGOs must be accountable to African governments,†he stressed.
Bashir and Kony are wanted by the ICC for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The conflict in Darfur began in February 2003, and the UN says more than 400,000 people have died.
But Mamdani said the figure was exaggerated, mainly by the UN and the ICC, to criminalise Bashir.