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Sudan president war crimes warrant met with mixed reaction

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Sudan and other African countries on Wednesday criticized the International Criminal Court (ICC) for issuing an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, while Sudan's opposition leaders, the UN, and various Western countries urged Bashir's government to cooperate with court. In Sudan, Information and Communication Minister Kamal Ebeid rejected the court's authority to issue the warrant, thousands protested in Darfur, and several aid agencies were expelled from the country. Spokesmen for both the African Union and Egypt warned that the warrant could disrupt peacekeeping efforts in the country, but Sudan opposition SPLM Party member Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth said that actions by the ICC should not interfere with country's Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged Sudan to cooperate with the court and said that UN peacekeepers would remain in the country. The US State Department said that the US supported peace in Sudan and that those responsible for atrocities there should be held accountable. The warrant for Bashir, issued earlier on Wednesday, charged him with seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, but did not include genocide charges. The controversial arrest warrant had been sought by ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, who in July filed preliminary charges against Bashir alleging genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes committed in the Darfur region in violation of Articles 6, 7, and 8 of the Rome Statute. The ICC announced last week that they would decide whether to issue an arrest warrant on Wednesday. The announcement came after the New York Times reported last month that the warrant had been issued, leading a court official quickly to issue a denial.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on March 04, 2009 (boomark / email).