Court-Martial for Sudanese Militia

Musa Hilal and his followers' court-martial was postponed until Monday, September 23. Attorneys appointed by Hilal's family were prevented from entering the courtroom at the general command in Khartoum.  The attorneys are attempting to argue the court-martial of Hilal, the former Janjaweed militia leader, is improper because he was never a member of the Sudanese military. The attorneys have failed to get the Court of Appeal to rule the court-martial illegal, and have a petition pending at the Constitutional Court. On Sunday, protesters demanded Hilal's release, contending the court-martial can't continue after Omar al-Bashir's ouster. Jurisdictional questions aside, hopefully the Sudanese can avoid the inefficiency, and apparent lack of impartiality, other countries have encountered while trying non-military members in a military tribunal.