The Global Criminal Justice Rewards Program at the U.S. State Department is offering a reward of up to $5 million to individuals who provide information that leads to the arrest, transfer, or conviction of Ahmad Harun.
Harun is a former Minister of State for the Interior of the government of Sudan. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court, or ICC, for war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in Darfur between 2003 and 2004. During this time, Harun stands accused of recruiting, mobilizing, funding, and arming the notorious Janjaweed militia, a precursor to the Rapid Support Forces, and participating in atrocities, including murder, rape, torture, forcible transfer of population, persecution, and other inhumane acts.
Lasting peace in Darfur depends on individuals like Harun facing justice for past crimes, said Beth Van Schaack, Ambassador-at Large for Global Criminal Justice.
“There's current violence in Darfur, and that can be, I think, directly traced to the impunity from the violence that happened in Darfur in the early 2000s. So far, very few individuals who were associated with the Omar al-Bashir regime that was responsible for what we have described as a genocide in Darfur - very few individuals have been brought to justice,” she said. “Some of the same perpetrators are targeting some of the same communities and using some of the same violent tactics as we saw in the early 2000. So, bringing Harun to justice will go a long way towards creating the conditions that will allow for a peaceful transition back to civilian rule.”
Ambassador Van Schaack stressed the reward offer for Harun is for information only:
“There are no expectations that tipsters either conduct their own investigations or attempt to capture the person themselves. That could actually limit their ability to receive a reward. We really just need information, and then we can allow law enforcement officials to take over and follow up on that information.”
If anyone has information about Ahmad Harun, please reach out to the Global Criminal Justice Rewards Program via text message, SMS, or WhatsApp on: +1-202-975-5468 or via email at: GCJRP@state.gov. You can also bring information to the nearest U.S. Embassy or any U.S. Government official. All information will be kept strictly confidential.
