By IINA,
Khartoum : Sudan has dismissed the move by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to seek the arrest of its president on charges of waging a campaign of genocide and rape in Darfur. Sub-Saharan African countries are wary of the repercussions of a confrontation between Khartoum and the ICC. Ali Othman Mohamed Taha, Sudan’s first vice-president, said the proposal to arrest Omar Al Bashir was a political move that was not binding on his country. “Everybody know that Sudan has not ratified membership of the ICC … it is not a member of the ICC and [the court] has no jurisdiction over Sudan,” he said.
“As long as the ICC is voluntary and independent of the UN … we feel that the ICC prosecutor does not have the authority of a compulsory mandate over Sudan.” Yesterday, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, a prosecutor for the ICC, cited Omar al-Bashir, Sudan’s president, for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The announcement sparked protests in Khartoum where hundreds of demonstrators accused the ICC of practising double standards and of conspiring against their country.
Mohammed Adow, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Khartoum, said the feeling on the streets of Khartoum was one of anger. “The people of Sudan have been voicing their concern and anger. They’re reading double standards in the ICC move and asking why the ICC is not investigating conflicts in other parts of the world,” he said.
“They are saying the ICC move is part of a wider conspiracy against their country.”
Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, distanced himself from the ICC ruling, saying he was “very worried” over the possible repercussions should al-Bashir be formally accused. Urging Sudan to ensure the safety of UN peacekeepers, Ban said in an interview published in Le Figaro newspaper that the move “would have very serious consequences for peacekeeping operations including the political process”.
Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamed, Sudan’s ambassador to the UN, said the plans to arrest al-Bashir stood in the way of the peace process and that Sudan would ask the Security Council to block Moreno-Ocampo. “We want the Security Council to tell the prosecutor that our road map … demands that priority be given to the peace process,” he told the Associated Press news agency.
Brian Kelly, a UN spokesman, said the UN has been trying to minimise risk of harm to its staff by carrying out a number of procedures. Arab and African leaders have also expressed concern over any attempt to detain the Sudanese leader for any of the alleged war crimes.