14 July 2008
The prosecutor of the newly-established International Criminal Court (ICC) today accused Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir of genocide and war crimes arising out of the war in Darfur.
In a case which puts into sharp focus the sometimes competing demands of international humanitarian law and the political compromises into which states enter to secure peace, the ICC's prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo. presented evidence to the court at its seat in The Hague.
An ICC press release said Moreno-Ocampo had decided after a three-year investigation that "there are reasonable grounds to believe that... [al-Bashir] bears criminal responsibility in relation to 10 counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes."
He charged that al-Bashir "masterminded and implemented a plan to destroy in substantial part the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa groups, on account of their ethnicity." When the groups, which were resisting the marginalization of Darfur, rebelled and the government failed to defeat them, the Sudanese president "went after the people."
The ICC quoted Moreno-Ocampo as saying of al-Bashir: "His motives were largely political. His alibi was a 'counterinsurgency.' His intent was genocide."
The prosecution said the Sudanese armed forces and the Janjaweed militia were acting on al-Bashir's orders in their five-year-long campaign of attacking and destroying villages.
Moreno-Ocampo added: "By preventing the truth about the crimes from being revealed; concealing his crimes under the guise of a 'counterinsurgency strategy', or 'inter tribal clashes', or the 'actions of lawless autonomous militia', al-Bashir made possible the commission of further crimes. He promoted and provided impunity to his subordinates in order to secure their willingness to commit genocide."
The prosecutor has asked a pre-trial chamber of the ICC to issue an arrest warrant for al-Bashir.
Read the ICC's full press release
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irrational because newcolonialisim ovrewhelmed whole world with sorrow we want all of them to be judjed faithfully
The AU should intervene and not allow the new form of colonialism take root in africa.Which president is next?
Bashir is heartless butcher who turns against the people he supposes to protect as their leader; this is the 21st century where tyrannies need to end. This is a good sign for ICC leadership to standup for justice for all. Bashir must face the wound he has ignored far too long A man is born to respect others not depose them as beasts to earn respect to their personal misery.
This is a precedent seing move by the US and its allies to use the Internatonal criminal court to eliminate the black African countries targeted for the control and pillaging of their natural resources. As pointed out by Inter Press Services (Johannesburg) of Feb. 27, 2008, the civil wars and killings in Sudan was organized and constantly backed by the US that funneled nearly $20m worth of military equipment through Ethiopia, Eritrea and Uganda to the opposition to overthrow the government of President Omar al-Bashir. The goal of the US is to split Sudan as the US did in Ethiopia so that the Southern Sudan can be free for the US to colonize and PLUNDER THE NATURAL RESOURCES. In Sudan, President Omar al-Bashir cannot be accused of building weapons of mass destruction but by organizing and backing civil war in the Sudan, the US has found a creative way of using the ICC to black-mail President Omar al-Bashir. The next in line of black African leaders to be accused by the ICC will be Mugabe. If Africans do not show the world that this SMART TRICK that could ultimately lead to the desteruction of Africa WILL BE RESISTED, the black Africa is DOOMED!
Mr or Ms "gishola", I don't know where you are coming from! You talk about Black Africa. Read the fine prints. President Omar al-Bashir doesn't regard himself as a black African. He sees himself as an Arab. He's engaged in ethnic cleansing against indigenous black Africans who live in Darfur. It has become normal to blame the United States and President Bush for every crisis. The ICC move is NOT indictment against a black African leader as you would want us believe, but rather indictment on a man engaged in ethnic cleansing and marginalization against black Africans. Get back to the roots of the Darfur crisis and stop your US bashing!
TO Gishola: Who has washed your brain with western and US conspiracy that you talk like that ? You should go either back to the school or visit doctor !!! US is not even member country of ICC !!! Have you ever been in Sudan or have you met Sudanese ? I am working in International Organisation for migration in Bangkok and I see Sudanese refugees every single week and I heard their stories. Facts: 2 milions people died in civil war, 300 000 in last 5 years, 5 mil. refugees in the country where Al-Bashir is president for almost 20 years. And pls. let me remind you he goes of black Africans living in the south. As somebody noted he doesn´t recognize himself as black African. He deserves to face his crimes along with many of your other dictators as Mugabe,Obiang etc. Thanks butcher Charles Taylor is already there.
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