Sudan to hand ex-President Omar al-Bashir to ICC
The Sudanese government will hand Omar al-Bashir over to the International Criminal Court (ICC) along with other officials wanted over the Darfur conflict, according to a Cabinet of Ministers in a statement to CNN.
Bashir, who ruled Sudan for three decades before being deposed in 2019, faces charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.
The conflict in Darfur began around 2003 when several rebel groups took up arms against the government in Khartoum. They had grievances over land and historical marginalization.
Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir looks on as he receives his Egyptian counterpart at Khartoum International Airport outside the Sudanese capital on October 25, 2018. (Photo by ASHRAF SHAZLY / AFP) (Photo credit should read ASHRAF SHAZLY/AFP/Getty Images) Ashraf Shazly/AFP/Getty ImagesIn response, the government’s counterinsurgency strategy targeted the opposition groups, but reportedly expanded to target tribes associated with the insurgents. The government-backed Janjaweed militia was also accused of raping women in Darfur, and the government was accused of using chemical weapons against the community.
In 2009, the ICC’s chief prosecutor first issued an arrest warrant for Bashir on charges of genocide and war crimes related to Darfur. The court issued another arrest warrant in 2010, but in 2014 had to suspend the case because of lack of support from the United Nations Security Council.
On Wednesday, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said that he is mandated – as an ICC official and in accordance with his mandate from the UN Security Council – to conduct independent investigations into what happened in Darfur.
Khan said that he seeks the cooperation of anyone who has information about these events and that this “requires the cooperation and assistance of the Sudanese, whether in Darfur or Khartoum, on all the crimes that have been committed, including mass killings, crimes against humanity and other crimes as everyone’s responsibility.”
Hashem Abu Bakr al-Jaali, a member of Bashir’s defense team, told CNN on Wednesday that the cabinet’s decision to hand over the wanted officials to the ICC “reveals a conspiracy that has been hatched, and if the extradition step is taken, it will be a disaster for Sudan.”
He added that the Council of Ministers is “not competent to take such decision, as it is a sovereign decision,” and that it “seems that the government is trying to cover its inability by taking such decisions.”
Decades of fear and violence
Bashir was the first sitting president to be wanted by the ICC, and the first person to be charged by the ICC for the crime of genocide, according to the court’s website.
Under his iron grip an entire generation grew up in the shadow of war, where the threat of torture in infamous “ghost houses” was never far away, and press freedom nonexistent.
He was ousted in a military coup in April 2019 following a lengthy popular uprising, and in December 2019 was sentenced to two years in a correctional facility after being found guilty of corruption and illegitimate possession of foreign currency.
Sudanese civilians atop a train join in celebrations over the signing of a deal that paves the way for a transitional government in Khartoum, Sudan, on Saturday, August 17. Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/Reuters 
Sudanese protest leader Ahmad Rabie, center right, flashes the victory gesture alongside Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the chief of Sudan's ruling Transitional Military Council, center left, during a ceremony where they signed a constitutional declaration. Ebrahim Hamid/AFP/Getty Images 
Sudanese men embrace outside the Friendship Hall in Khartoum where generals and protest leaders signed a historic transitional constitution, paving the way for civilian rule in Sudan. Jean Marc Mojon/AFP/Getty Images 
Sudanese protesters celebrate in the streets of the capital, Khartoum, after ruling generals and protest leaders announced they have reached an agreement on a new governing body Friday. Ashraf Shazly/AFP/Getty Images 
African Union envoy to Sudan Mohamed al-Hacen Lebatt, second from left, shakes hands with an army general following a press conference announcing an agreement was reached. Under the terms, the military council will be in charge of the country's leadership for the first 21 months. A civilian administration will rule the council during the following 18 months. Ebrahim Hamid/AFP/Getty Images 
Relatives of three Sudanese men who were found dead with bullet wounds mourn near their bodies in the city of Omdurman on July 1. Umit Bektas/Reuters 
Protesters run from a police van that drove through a crowd on June 30 in Khartoum. The protesters faced off with armed forces on a main road leading to the airport. David Degner/Getty Images 
A protester reacts to tear gas on June 30. David Degner/Getty Images 
Sudanese protesters march in a mass demonstration against the country's ruling generals in the capital's twin city of Omdurman on June 30. Ahmed Mustafa/AFP/Getty Images 
Tear gas fumes are seen amid a demonstration in Khartoum on June 30. Ebrahim Hamid/AFP/Getty Images 
People chant slogans as a young man recites a poem, illuminated by mobile phones on June 19. Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images 
Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, deputy head of Sudan's ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) and commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries, center right, waves a baton as he rides through supporters in Qarri, north of Khartoum, on June 15. Ashraf Shazly/AFP/Getty Images 
Sudan's Transitional Military Council spokesman Shams-Eddin Kabashi, right, speaks during a press conference at the Presidential Palace in Khartoum on June 13. Sudan's ruling military council admitted that it had ordered the dispersal of a Khartoum sit-in, which left more than 100 dead. Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images 
Protesters block a street with bricks and burning tires as military forces attempt to disperse a sit-in outside the army headquarters in Khartoum, Sudan, on Monday, June 3. More than 100 protesters were killed when the military opened fire to break up the sit-in, according to a local doctors' union. Ashraf Shazly/AFP/Getty Images 
Sudanese forces are deployed around Khartoum's army headquarters on June 3. Ashraf Shazly/AFP/Getty Images 
Protesters gather for a sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum on May 19. Mohamed El-Shahed/AFP/Getty Images 
Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the deputy head of the military council that assumed power in Sudan, prays during a Ramadan event in Khartoum on May 18. AP Photo 
Sudanese army soldiers gather as people rally in front of the Presidential Palace in downtown Khartoum on May 18. Mohamed El-Shahed/AFP/Getty Images 
Protesters wave national flags at a sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum on May 2. Salih Basheer/AP 
Demonstrators attend Friday prayers outside the army headquarters on April 19. Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images 
Protesters shout slogans as they carry a soldier flashing the victory sign outside the army headquarters on April 18. Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images 
Protesters participate in a sit-in in Khartoum on April 17. Salih Basheer/AP 
Demonstrators rally near the military headquarters in Khartoum on April 15. Salih Basheer/AP 
Lt. Gen. Omar Zain al-Abdin, head of the Sudanese military council's political committee, addresses journalists in Khartoum on April 12, one day after Bashir was ousted. ASHRAF SHAZLY/AFP/Getty Images 
Demonstrators cheer on April 11, after an announcement that Bashir had been detained "in a safe place." Stringer/Reuters 
A protester kisses a soldier on the head during a rally in Khartoum on April 11. AFP/Getty Images 
Protesters cheer outside the Defense Ministry in Khartoum on April 11. They were demanding that Bashir step down. Stringer/Reuters 
Sudan's defense minister goes on television April 11 to say Bashir's government has been dissolved. Sudan state TV 
Demonstrators stand on a military vehicle April 11 as they cheer and flash the sign of victory. AFP/Getty Images 
A billboard in Khartoum bears an image of Alaa Salah, a Sudanese woman who became the face of anti-government demonstrations. AFP/Getty Images 
Demonstrators block the vehicle of a military officer on April 11. Reuters 
Demonstrators chant slogans as they gather in a street in central Khartoum. Ahmed Mustafa/AFP/Getty Images 
Salah, the woman propelled to internet fame after clips of her leading protest chants went viral, addresses protesters on April 10. AFP/Getty Images 
Sudanese soldiers transport a body near the military headquarters on Tuesday, April 9. The Central Committee of Sudan Doctors said 22 people, including five soldiers, had been killed in mass protests. AFP/Getty Images 
A person writes "Down with Bashir" during an April 9 demonstration in Khartoum. Stringer/EPA-EFE/REX 
People protest on April 8, in front of the military headquarters in Khartoum. STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images 
A protester shows bullet cartridges during an April 8 demonstration. STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images 
Protesters sit atop a military vehicle as soldiers stand nearby on April 7. AFP/Getty Images 
Protesters run for cover on April 6, as tear-gas canisters are fired by police. AFP/Getty Images 
A protester retreats from tear gas during an anti-government demonstration on February 24. STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images 
A protester carries a Bashir portrait on February 8. It reads, "Down and that is all." AFP/Getty Images 
People take part in an anti-government demonstration in Omdurman, Sudan, on January 29. AFP/Getty Images 
A protester is seen in the midst of tear gas during clashes with security forces in Khartoum in December 2018. APIn pictures: Sudan in transition
Prev NextHe has been imprisoned in the same notorious Khartoum jail where generations of political dissidents were held under his rule.
Sudan’s ruling military council previously said that while it would prosecute al-Bashir it would not extradite him to The Hague.
In August 2020, Sudanese authorities and key armed movements from Darfur signed a peace deal, however violence in Darfur still persists, with at least 125 brutally killed in April this year.
Despite the recurring violence, the UN and African Union ended peacekeeping operations in Darfur in December.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLrNZ5qopV9nfXN9jmlvaGlhZK6nvsicmGirpZmur3nHmqWdp6aav267zJqpZpmcYq%2Biv8eiqWahk5h6qrrTpWaippSaxW%2B006aj