On 8 and 9 June, African Union member states are meeting to discuss withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC) as a form of protest to the arrest warrant issued against Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir.

Ahead of the meeting in Addis, African civil society groups, including the Southern Africa Litigation Centre, the Chairman of the General Council of the Bar of South Africa and Halima Bashir, Darfuri author of the novel 'Tears of the Desert', have united in condemnation of the Sudanese Government's cynical lobbying of countries to withdraw recognition of the International Criminal Court. Their condemnation is supported by several leading figures from African civil society who have signed the letter, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Concerned that African Leaders may succumb to pressure from the Sudanese Government and its allies, leading civil society groups and individuals from across the continent have signed a letter calling on their leaders to support the work of the ICC. The letter points out that despite the claims of those in Khartoum, the African people, and in particular Darfuris, are in favour of the Court and its role in bringing those guilty of committing crimes to justice.

Far from being biased against Africans, the letter argues that the International Criminal Court protects the victims of atrocities – who in the case of Darfur and all of its other cases are African.

Last year over 65,000 Darfuris signed a petition calling on the international community to bring justice to those guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan. The suffering of these groups was highlighted through a series of Darfuri children’s drawings. These drawings which depict the horrendous violence these children have witnessed were accepted by the ICC as contextual evidence.

Desmond Tutu wrote in the New York Times earlier this year:

"Because the victims in Sudan are African, African leaders should be the staunchest supporters of efforts to see perpetrators brought to account."

Nicole Fritz, Executive Director of the Southern Africa Litigation Centre, one of the signatories to the letter said:

“We fear that in the face of pressure from the Sudanese government, who are masters at manipulating the truth to their advantage, the voice of voices of ordinary people on this continent will be drowned out. Sudan has already mounted a large-scale operation to discredit the international criminal court and lobby its neighbours to pull out. We can only hope that our leaders choose not to listen to their rhetoric but instead represent the views of their people and support the work of the ICC.”

Mr Mohamed Elzaki Abubeker, Chairman of the Darfur Union in the UK said:

“We ask all African leaders to act in solidarity and listen to the voices of their people and continue to support the important work of the International Criminal Court. Without the Court bringing those guilty of crimes to justice, we may never be able to return home to the families and country that we love. We need justice in Darfur for there to be long term peace in Sudan”