Genocide Determination and the Question of Responsibility for the Darfur Victims of International Crimes

Abstract

After the cold war era the United Nations organization was formed for the purposes of maintaining international peace and security. Closely after the formation of the organization the convention for the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide came into force as the first legal document to articulate the definition of the term ‘genocide’. Viewed as a serious crime under international law, the contracting parties unanimously agree to suppress acts of genocide not only within their national jurisdiction but also within the international community as a whole. As a party to both the United Nations and the genocide convention, Sudan bears the primary responsibility to fulfill her obligation by protecting its citizens including the Darfur indigenes from acts of human rights violation that could possibly amount to genocide. This paper debates on the contemplation as to whether or not genocide actually materialized in the Darfur conflict. In conclusion, the paper decent that genocide occurred in Darfur and the perpetrators in the name of the Sudanese government and its allies the janjaweed militias should be held accountable for such acts.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n9p51