His government Sudan announced Wednesday its intention to hand over to the International Criminal Court (ICC) Omar el-Bashir, the authoritarian former head of state, as well as two former government officials who have been wanted for more than ten years for “genocide” and crimes against humanity in the armed conflict in Darfur.
In the conflict in this vast region of western Sudan in the early 2000s, the predominantly Arab regime of Omar al-Bashir clashed with insurgents belonging to ethnic minorities who denounced their marginalization. The war in Darfur killed some 300,000 people and displaced another 2.5 million, mostly in the early years, according to the United Nations.
“The cabinet has decided to hand over the wanted persons to the ICC,” said Sudanese Foreign Minister Mariam al-Mahdi, without elaborating on when.
According to SUNA, the official Sudanese news agency, Ms. Mahdi made the statement during a meeting with the new ICC Attorney General, based in The Hague, the Netherlands, Karim Khan, who is visiting Khartoum.
The decision to send Mr Bashir to the ICC remains to be formally approved by the transitional government, which is made up of the military and civilians.
The daughter of Sadek al-Mahdi, the prime minister who was ousted in 1989 by a Islamist-led military coup led by Omar al-Bashir, now head of Sudanese diplomacy, stressed the “importance” of working with the ICC to “ensure justice for the victims of the war in Darfur “.
“Claims of the revolution”
“Sudan’s commitment to justice (…) is a response to the demands of the people and makes the demands of the revolution a reality,” Sudanese Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok said in a press release after meeting with him. .
The US government, through its spokesman for US diplomacy Ned Price, saw in Sudan’s announcement “major progress in its fight against decades of impunity”.
Omar el-Bashir, 77, was ousted after 30 years in power with an iron fist in April 2019, in a military coup amid a widespread popular uprising, sparked by a tripling of the price of bread.
In February 2020, the transitional government pledged to help Mr. Bashir appear before the ICC, which ten years ago issued arrest warrants for him and other members of his regime for “crimes against humanity,” “war crimes.” and “genocide” in Darfur.
The authoritarian leader defied the warrants and traveled abroad after first securing guarantees that he would not be arrested.
The ICC, which has not yet officially commented on the decision of the Sudanese transitional government, announced that a press conference will be held in Khartoum today Thursday at 16:30 (local time · 17:30 Greek time) with Mr. Khan present.
The other two officials expected to be handed over to the ICC are former South Kordofan governor and former Minister Ahmed Harun and former Defense Minister Abdel Rahim Mohammed Hussein, who are wanted for the same reasons. They were arrested after the fall of the regime and are being held in Sudan.
“Countless victims”
The ICC had issued an arrest warrant for Mr Harun in 2007, in which he issued 42 charges, mainly for murder, rape, torture, persecution and looting.
The historic peace agreement signed in October 2020 between the transitional government and various rebel organizations explicitly mentions the need for “full co-operation” with the ICC.
The cabinet last week voted in favor of Sudan’s ratification of Rome’s charter, which established the ICC.
Sudan’s attorney general, Mubarak Mahmoud, assured on Tuesday, after meeting with Mr Khan, that his services were ready to co-operate with the ICC.
On Twitter, the UN special envoy for Sudan, Volker Pertes, said the ICC “could help set up a special court for Darfur”.
Following the fall of Mr. Bashir, various scenarios have been considered for his trial. Mr Hamdock had suggested, for example, in October 2020 that a “hybrid tribunal” be set up in Sudan, consisting of Hague judges and Sudanese judges.
The former president, who was found guilty of corruption in December 2019, is currently being held in Khartoum prison.
He is currently on trial for his role in the 1989 military coup, but this process has been repeatedly postponed.
In June 2020, Ali Husayn, the head of Janzawid, a paramilitary militant aid organization accused of heaps of atrocities in Darfur, surrendered to the ICC after 13 years on the run. He denied the charges against him.
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