The International Criminal Court has terminated proceedings against Sudanese rebel leader Abdullah Banda after prosecutors withdrew war crimes charges against him.
Judges canceled a long-standing arrest warrant after the prosecution cited a significant decline in the evidentiary value of the case and the emergence of new exculpatory evidence.
The judges criticised the prosecution’s handling of the case but approved the withdrawal to prevent a potential miscarriage of justice and uphold Banda’s right to a fair trial.
However, the court said prosecutors retain the legal right to bring new charges against him in the future.
The ICC issued the arrest warrant in 2014 over Banda’s alleged role in a 2007 attack on African Union peacekeepers in Haskanita, North Darfur.
The ambush killed 12 soldiers and wounded eight others.
Banda currently serves as chief military adviser to the Justice and Equality Movement, led by Jibril Ibrahim.
