In the context of continued violence, hunger and repression in the Darfur region of Sudan, we six women Nobel Peace Laureates are encouraged by recent progress in the work of the International Criminal Court in Sudan.

We remain deeply concerned by ongoing attacks against humanitarian aid workers in government-controlled towns, continued use of rape as a tactic of war, and obstructions to international efforts to resolve the conflict. The situation in Darfur is still desperate, after almost six years of armed conflict.

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We are convinced that justice will be a pillar of peace in the Sudan, as it will be globally. The creation of the International Criminal Court is a critical and significant development in international law that took more than five decades to establish. With its global reach, it has the potential to prevent, or drastically reduce, the deaths and devastation caused by violent conflict and abuses of power.

The people of Darfur deserve