The US has announced a bounty of up to $5 million for information leading to the capture of Ahmed Harun, a former Sudanese official implicated in the Darfur war crimes, who fled from custody amid conflict last year.
Harun, previously an aide to ousted ruler Omar al-Bashir, is accused by the International Criminal Court of forming the infamous Janjaweed militia, responsible for extensive violence in Darfur during the early 2000s.
He revealed in April that he had escaped from Khartoum’s Kober prison shortly after clashes erupted between the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group with roots in the Janjaweed. The U.S. has linked these forces to ongoing ethnic violence in western Sudan.
The State Department emphasized the need for justice and accountability for past and ongoing human rights violations in Sudan, highlighting the connection between past impunity and current conflicts in Darfur.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has condemned the Rapid Support Forces for their involvement in recent atrocities.
Despite efforts by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia to mediate the conflict, the fighting has resulted in significant casualties and displacement, with at least 13,000 deaths and over seven million people displaced, according to various estimates.
The International Criminal Court has been seeking Harun since 2007 for numerous charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Omar al-Bashir also faces charges from the court, but Sudan has yet to extradite him. The US reward aims to facilitate Harun’s arrest, transfer, or conviction, even though the US is not a member of the International Criminal Court.
