Governor Ahmed Haroun | |
|---|---|
| أحمد محمد هارون | |
| Governor ofNorth Kordofan | |
| In office 14 July 2013 – 23 February 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Muatassim Mirghani Hussein Zaki al-Din |
| Governor ofSouth Kordofan | |
| In office May 2009 – 12 July 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Omar Silaman |
| Succeeded by | Adam al-Faki Mohamed al-Tayeb |
| Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs | |
| In office 2006–2009 | |
| Succeeded by | Mutrif Siddiq |
| Minister of State for the Interior | |
| In office April 2003 – September 2005 | |
| Succeeded by | Alio Abini Alio |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1964 (age 60–61) North Kurdufan,Republic of Sudan |
| Political party | National Congress |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Known for | wanted byICC forwar crimes[1] |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Sudan |
| Battles/wars | Second Sudanese Civil War War in Darfur Heglig Crisis |
Ahmed Mohammed Haroun (also spelledAhmad Harun,Arabic:أحمد هارون; born 1964) is one of five Sudanese menwanted by theInternational Criminal Court (ICC) forwar crimes andcrimes against humanity inDarfur.[1] Despite international pressure on the government of Sudan to surrender him to the ICC, Haroun served as Sudan's Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs until May 2009, when he was appointed to the governorship ofSouth Kordofan. In September 2007, he was appointed to lead an investigation into human rights violations in Darfur. In July 2013 he resigned as Governor of South Kordofan, and was reappointed by Omar al-Bashir as Governor ofNorth Kordofan. On 1 March 2019, President Omar al-Bashir handed over the running of the country's leading political party, theNational Congress, to him.[2] He was arrested in April 2019 by local authorities in Sudan followinga coup which overthrew al-Bashir.[3][4]
Born in 1964, Haroun is from the state ofNorth Kordofan.[5] He comes from theBargo tribe in western Sudan.[6] He was trained as a lawyer.[6]
At one time Haroun was Sudan's youngest minister of state.[6] He is also accused of participating in mobilizing and training tribal militias to attack civilians during the counterinsurgency in South Sudan. He also participated in the mobilization of the Murahileen militia and the conduct of military operations in Kordofan during the 1990s.[7]
During the time Haroun served as the minister of state for interior affairs, from April 2003 to September 2005, he also managed the Darfur Security Desk, which coordinated different government bodies involved in the counterinsurgency campaign in Darfur, such as the police, theJanjaweed, theArmed Forces, and theIntelligence Service.[5] This department also managed access of NGOs and the media to Darfur.[8] From 2006 to 2009, he was the minister of state for humanitarian affairs.
Haroun allegedly recruited, funded and armed the Janjaweed militia, and incited numerous attacks against civilian populations.[9][10]
Forces under his command have been accused on targeting the towns of Kodoom, Bindisi, Mukjar,Arawala and surrounding areas during 2003 and 2004, even though these towns were apparently devoid of rebel presence and the civilian population was not taking part in hostilities.[5] According toBBC News, Haroun ordered the militia to kill, rape, and torture civilians.[11] Haroun has denied the accusations, and was quoted as saying the violence "never happened in the first place."[12] Haroun was reported as having said that since the "children of the Fur had become rebels, 'all the Fur' had become 'booty' for the Janjaweed."[13] After his speech, the Janjaweed militia, under the command ofAli Kushayb, looted the towns between Bindisi and Mukjar, and terrorized civilians.[13]
Haroun supposedly declared in one of his meetings that as the head of security he had the authority to eliminate or pardon anyone in order to maintain peace and safety.[14]
In August 2003, Haroun was further accused of the forcible transfer of about 20,000 civilians, primarilyFur people, from the Kodoom villages and surrounding areas.[5] News reports also allege that Haroun and fellow Janjaweed militia leaderAli Kushayb forced the displacement of 34,000 civilians in March 2008 from their homes.[15] Haroun was also accused of pressuring displaced persons to leave displacement camps, and in doing so placed women and children at risk of attacks and malnutrition.[16]
On 27 April 2007, theInternational Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Ahmad Muhammad Haroun, charging him with 20 counts of crimes against humanity and 22 counts of war crimes. He is accused of recruiting, funding and arming the Janjaweed militia. The Janjaweed attacked civilians and pillaged towns and villages during counterinsurgency attacks.[17]
From April 2003 until September 2005, Haroun was Minister of State as well as head of the "Darfur Security Desk," and from 2006 to 2009, he served as the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs. Currently, he is the governor of South Kordofan, which borders South Sudan, where a brutal counterinsurgency campaign is raging, most severely in the Nuba mountains.[17]
Despite international calls for his arrest,[18] Haroun continued to serve as minister of state for humanitarian affairs (which is a post below the fullministerial level).[19] In this role, Haroun oversaw Darfur's two millioninternally displaced persons.[20] Aid agencies have accused him of hindering their efforts to bring relief to the displaced.[20]
In September 2007, the Sudanese government announced that Haroun would lead an investigation into human rights abuses in Darfur.[21] It also appointed Haroun to be a member of its committee overseeing theUnited Nations African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), thus influencing the deployment of peacekeepers in Darfur.[22]
As a result of the escalating crisis in the state ofAbyei in the first week of 2011, the UN decided to fly Haroun to the province. He was seen as the only suitable mediator at the time. The ICC is not a part of the UN, but the UN promised to cooperate with the ICC, and the action chosen by the UN – although pragmatic – proved controversial.[23]
In June 2011, Haroun defeatedAbdelaziz al-Hilu of theSPLA to become the governor of South Kordofan in an election rejected by the SPLA as rigged.[24]
On 12 July 2013 Haroun, along with the Governor of North Kordofan, resigned. In a presidential decree Omar al-Bashir reappointed Haroun as Governor of North Kordofan until 23 February 2019.[25][26]
In April 2019, Haroun was arrested by local authorities in Sudan following the2019 Sudanese coup d'état, which overthrewOmar al-Bashir.[4][27] On 5 May 2020, he tested positive forCOVID-19 and was subsequently placed in quarantine.[28] He escaped custody during the chaos of the2023 Sudan conflict, and voiced support for theSudanese Armed Forces.[29]
In January 2024, the United States offered a $5 million reward for information leading to the capture of Ahmed Haroun. Haroun is portrayed by the US State Department as having recruited, financed and armed the sinister Janjaweed militia who participated in atrocities including murder, rape, torture, forced deportations and other inhumane treatment in Darfur in the 2000s.[30]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
