[JURIST] UN Human Rights Commissioner Louise Arbour [official profile; JURIST news archive] on Thursday called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website] act more aggressively in prosecuting those suspected of war crimes in Sudan's Darfur region [JURIST news archive] shortly after her return from a visit [JURIST report] there. Although the UN Security Council has granted the ICC the authority to prosecute suspected war crimes in Darfur and has forwarded to the court the names of more than 50 suspects, the court has so far made little headway. The Sudanese government has resisted its efforts to intervene [JURIST report], maintaining it can handle any lawless activity in the region and can try accused abusers in a court of its own making [JURIST report].

The UN Security Council agreed last year to send any accusations of war crimes in the Darfur region to the ICC for investigation and prosecution. The US, a vocal opponent of the new Hague-based international criminal tribunal, chose to abstain [JURIST report] rather than veto the move. Reuters has more.