On 21 and 22 January 2015, UNAMID’s Human Rights Section and the Justice Committee, Justice, Truth and Reconciliation Commission of the Darfur Regional Authority (DRA) jointly organized a two-day workshop in Khartoum on justice as a pillar of transitional justice mechanisms.

The opening ceremony of the workshop was attended by the Deputy Chief of UNAMID’s Human Rights Section, Christian Mikala; the Secretary General of the Justice Committee, Justice, Truth and Reconciliation Commission (JTRC), Ibrahim Adam Ibrahim; the Head of the Justice Committee for JTRC; Marshal (Retd.) Al Tayeb Abdu Al Rahman; and the DRA Minister of Information and Culture, Abdul Karim Musa. Other attendees included JTRC members and representatives from the embassies of the United States of America and Canada.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Marshal Al Rahman said that the Justice Committee is tasked with listening to victims of the conflict in Darfur, especially the displaced, identifying their concerns and finding suitable remedies.

Meanwhile, Mr. Adam Ibrahim said that 2015 will see greater emphasis on reconciliation activities. "This workshop is part of capacity-building for members of the Justice Committee and is designed to enable them to fulfill their mission in light of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD), the Constitution, Sudanese customs and traditions as well as international agreements and conventions," he said, referring to successful experiences of countries such as South Africa and Rwanda in implementing transitional justice mechanisms.

On his part, Mr. Mikala said that the workshop was aimed at encouraging discussions and solutions to strengthen transitional justice mechanisms which, he explained, look at judicial and non-judicial measures to provide redress for victims of crimes and human rights abuses. "An alleged victim, who has the courage to come before a court has one objective - to be convinced that justice is served," he indicated that this constitutes a challenge to specialists and experts in the judiciary and justice system.

Mr. Mikala also congratulated the Government of Sudan and the parties involved in drafting the DDPD for having given due importance to transitional justice mechanisms, and expressed his appreciation of GoS initiatives such as the Truth and Reconciliation Committee and the Justice Committee. "We must ensure that the committees that are established are able to conduct investigations and shed light on events and get to the truth. Additionally, perpetrators must be held accountable to strengthen the rule of law and victims should receive adequate compensation. It is also worth noting that the implementation of institutional reforms will further strengthen the accountability mechanism in Sudan," he urged.

Dr. Musa, in his role as representative of the DRA, said that, according to him, the people of Darfur have waited long enough for justice and reconciliation. "The crisis of justice is no longer a Darfuri coconcern; it is something that concerns the whole of Sudan," he stressed.