THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — International war crimes judges dismissed the case against a Sudanese rebel leader Monday, ruling that prosecutors failed to provide enough evidence to put him on trial for the deaths of international peacekeepers.

Bahar Idriss Abu Garda had been accused of planning and participating in an attack on an African Union peace mission in Sudan’s Darfur region in 2007 that killed 12 international troops.

Had it gone to trial, the case would have been a milestone in imposing international justice on the brutal Darfur conflict and would have tested international law that attacking noncombatant peace forces is a war crime.

Abu Garda was charged with three war crimes stemming from the assault on the Haskanita military camp, which prompted the African Union to suspend its mission.

The judges of the International Criminal Court said they were not satisfied that the prosecution had a viable case against Abu Garda, and they declined to confirm the charges against him.

They said the case could be reopened if the prosecution provides more evidence.

The ruling was based on a two-week pretrial hearing held in October. Prosecutors claimed Abu Garda conspired with other rebel groups in attacking the peacekeepers to elevate his faction’s credibility. They said the victims were shot at close range, calling it an “execution.”

Abu Garda denied having anything to do with the attack, and told the court he had denounced it at the time as only serving the interests of the Sudanese.

• Frank Bajak