Finally, members of Sudan’s ruling council have revealed that they will hand ousted president Omar al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court in The Hague where he is wanted for war crimes and genocide.
Local reports have it that the former number one citizen of the nation was indicted by the ICC on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and committing genocide in Sudan’s war-torn region of Darfur. Recall that two arrest warrants were issued in 2009 and 2010.
But he has repeatedly denied the allegations.
It would be recalled that Bashir was forced from office in April last year by the military after nationwide protests against his 30-year rule.
The ousted leader stood trial in Sudan on corruption charges and was sentenced to two years in jail in December, a ruling many said was too lenient.
It was gathered that the country’s joint military and civilian council were reluctant to send the leader to the Hague.
But in a recent development, the country’s information minister Faisal Saleh and Mohammed Hassan al-Taishi, a member of the Sovereign Council and a government negotiator, said the government and rebel groups in Darfur agreed that those wanted by the ICC would be presented to the tribunal.
Though, they did not mention Bashir by name and did not say when the former president, or the others wanted by the ICC, would be transferred.
In his words, Taishi averred that the two sides agreed to create a Darfur special court to investigate and hear cases including those investigated by the ICC.
The embattled former leader’s lawyers said he has refused to deal with the ICC dismissing it as a “political court”. He has repeatedly insisted Sudan’s judiciary is able to deal with any case.
It should be noted that Darfur, located on Sudan’s most western edge, has witnessed horrific violence since a civil war erupted in 2003 when rebel groups took up arms against Bashir’s government that they accused of oppressing Sudan’s non-Arab population.
