The International Criminal Court (ICC) will investigate Libyan
President Muammar Al-Qadhafi's regime for crimes against humanity in
repressing peaceful protesters, as a top United Nations official today
called for global action to avert a humanitarian disaster inside the
country.
ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said today preliminary examination
of available information shows that an investigation is warranted
after the Security Council last week asked him to look into the
violent repression in which more than 1,000 people are reported to
have been killed and many more injured as Mr. Qadhafi's loyalists
opened fire on peaceful civilians demanding his ouster.
Mr. Moreno-Ocampo will present an overview of the alleged crimes
committed in Libya since 15 February and information on the entities
and persons who could be prosecuted at a news conference in The Hague
tomorrow.
After his investigation he will present his case to ICC judges who
will then decide whether or not to issue arrest warrants based on the
evidence. Only one sitting head of State has so far been indicted by
the ICC and slapped with an arrest warrant – Sudanese President Omar
al-Bashir, who was charged in March 2008 with war crimes and crimes
against humanity in the strife-torn Darfur region.
The General Assembly yesterday suspended Libya from the UN Human
Rights Council for "gross and systematic" human rights violations
because of the violent repression.
Meanwhile, UN agencies on the ground are gearing up to provide
humanitarian aid for the more than 150,000 people who have already
fled to neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt and the many more who remain
within Libya, with the World Food Programme (WFP) launching a $38.7
million emergency operation to provide food aid to 2.7 million people
in the three countries.
"We are planning for a three-month emergency operation that will help
shore up Egyptian and Tunisian food safety nets and will also purchase
food from the region to help ensure that recovery from the disruption
can begin immediately," WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran said
today in Tunisia, where she visited the border with Libya to see
first-hand the crisis sparked by the influx of refugees, already
nearing 100,000 there alone.
"We call upon the world for immediate support for this appeal," she
added. "I was surrounded by tens of thousands of people fleeing
violence. It is clear the world must increase humanitarian action to
prevent a disaster inside Libya. We call for safe humanitarian access,
especially to western Libya. Cutting off food supplies must not be
used as a weapon," she added.
In New York, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos allocated $5
million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which
provides immediate aid for sudden-onset crises, to help those fleeing
violence in Libya. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has
also appealed to Governments to urgently supply massive financial and
logistical assets, including planes, boats and expert personnel.
Beyond the urgent need to feed those crossing into Tunisia and Egypt,
Ms. Sheeran cited the threat to food distribution systems, especially
in Libya, where stocks are being depleted, and supply chains are
disrupted.
WFP, the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger globally,
is already distributing the first airlift of 80 metric tons of high
energy biscuits, flown in on Monday, at Tunisian-Libyan border
crossing points.
"As part of our contingency planning we have also re-routed shipments
of wheat and wheat flour to the Tunisian border and the Libyan port of
Benghazi where it will be pre-positioned to meet immediate
humanitarian needs that may arise," Ms. Sheeran said, referring to the
eastern Libyan city where anti-Qadhafi forces are in control.
"WFP has a strong presence inside Libya and we are currently making
assessments that will allow us to quickly direct life-saving food
assistance towards those who are most vulnerable."
Nearly 100,000 people are also reported to have fled into Egypt. Many
of the refugees are migrant workers and male.
Yesterday, UNHCR voiced concern that a large number of sub-Saharan
Africans were not being allowed entry into Tunisia, and the
Geneva-based UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
today called on the international community to seek urgent measures to
protect non-citizens, migrant populations, migrant workers, refugees
and other minority groups in Libya.
In a related development, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) announced today that it is halting all
cooperation with the Libyan authorities.
UNESCO has been involved in a range of activities in Libya, notably in
the areas of science, culture and communication, according to a news
release issued by the Paris-based agency. Many of these activities
have been funded under a partnership agreement with the Qadhafi
International Foundation for Charity Associations, signed in 2001.
This partnership has now been terminated, UNESCO stated, adding that
cooperation with Libya will resume as soon as the rights of the Libyan
people are fully respected.
Mar 2 2011 12:10PM
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