secondOr have been opposed to it for twelve years Omar Bashir The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for genocide and crimes against humanity. The interim government of Sudan has now decided to transfer the 77-year-old former president to The Hague, who has led the country with difficulty in Northeast Africa for 30 years. The Sudanese Foreign Minister Mariam al-Mahdi (Mariam al-Mahdi) said on Wednesday that the cabinet has decided to extradite.
The decision was made during the visit of the new chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and British lawyer Karim Khan to Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. So far, one obstacle to extradition is that Sudan has not yet joined the Rome Court Statute. However, a week ago, the Sudanese cabinet voted to approve the founding treaty. As Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok said on Twitter, the accession bill was passed unanimously.
“Scorched Earth” Strategy
In the Darfur conflict that broke out in 2003, Bashir was charged with genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. At that time, most non-Arab insurgents had launched an uprising in the area to protest the suppression of the Arab-led government in Khartoum. The Bashir government responded with air strikes and attacks by notorious pro-government militias. It was called Janjawid, and it recruited fighters from the nomads in the area.according to United Nations 300,000 people were killed in the conflict and 2.5 million people were displaced.
The court accused Bashir of giving an order to launch an attack in Darfur. Human rights organizations have previously accused him and his assistants of pursuing a “scorched earth” strategy. Villages were looted and burned, residents were raped and killed. Bashir denies these allegations.
In 2019, the Sudanese dictator was finally overthrown after a massive military protest. At the end of the same year, a Sudanese court sentenced him to two years in prison for corruption. He is currently serving his sentence in the Köbel Maximum Security Prison in Khartoum. He was also tried for the violent coup that brought him to power in 1989.
Since the overthrow of Bashir, Sudan has been led by a military-civilian transitional government that hopes to bring justice to the victims of crimes committed by the former president. At the same time, Sudan urgently needs international assistance and is working to lift international sanctions. The Prime Minister recently called on the United Nations to support the process of peace and democratization.
African dissatisfaction
Prosecutor’s indictment International Criminal Court Caused dissatisfaction in Africa. It is seen as the starting point for the deterioration of the relationship between the African Union and the Court. Bashir is the first current head of state to be prosecuted by an international court. Although an arrest warrant has been issued against him requesting the State party to the court to arrest him, he continues to travel in the area and other places. There was a lot of anger in South Africa in 2015, when he violated the South African court’s judgment and was able to leave the country unhindered. Allegedly, with the knowledge of the government, he was taken to the airport under police escort.
The court also sued Bashir’s former interior and defense minister and his former security chief. He also brought charges against a rebel leader and the leader of the Janjawe. Sudanese prosecutors launched their own investigation into the Darfur conflict last year.
