The International Criminal Court (ICC) said on Wednesday that two surrendered Sudanese rebel leaders have arrived in The Hague for trial on war crimes charges.
"Abdallah Banda Abakaer Nourain and Saleh Mohammed Jerbo Jamus, both suspected of having committed war crimes in Darfur, Sudan, arrived
voluntarily this morning at the International Criminal Court, following summonses to appear issued under seal on Aug. 27, 2009," the court said in a statement.
The statement added that the two men "will stay at the location assigned to them by the court until their first appearance before the chamber" on Thursday morning.
The two suspects were charged with three counts of war crimes allegedly committed during a September 2007 attack that killed 12 African
Union peacekeepers in Umm Kadada, northern Darfur.
During their hearing Thursday, they will be informed of the crimes which they are alleged to have committed. A confirmation hearing will be
held within a reasonable time to determine whether or not there are substantial grounds to believe that they committed the crimes charged, the ICC said in the statement.
The situation in Darfur, western Sudan, was referred to the ICC by the UN Security Council resolution 1593 in March 2005.
Devastating fighting in Darfur since 2003 between ethnic rebels and the Sudanese government forces have left around 300,000 people dead and 2.7
million others displaced, according to the United Nations.