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Burhan Ozbilici/AP
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir
ICC Moves to Arrest Sudanese President, But Will it Help?
July 14, 2008 06:59 AM
The International Criminal Court is expected to seek Omar al-Bashir’s arrest Monday for war crimes committed in Darfur. Experts are divided on the arrest’s effect.
30-Second Summary
Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo issued a statement July 10 announcing that he would be submitting evidence “on crimes committed in the whole of Darfur over the last five years” and then publicly “summarise the evidence, the crimes and name individual(s) charged.”
Legal experts as well as human rights activists say they expect Moreno-Ocampo to name Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. The warrant would make him the first sitting president indicted by ICC for genocide.
Reports out of Sudanese capitol Khartoum say security is being stepped up in anticipation of Monday’s announcement.
The humanitarian crisis in Darfur began in 2003 as rebel groups in the region began to clash with government forces over the allocation of natural resources. Since then, rebel groups have fought against the national army and the Janjaweed, an Arab militia that has reportedly targeted civilians and that many accuse of being funded by the government.
The UN believes that between 200,000 and 300,000 people have been killed in Darfur and 2.5 million have been made homeless since 2003.
Some analysts see Bashir’s potential indictment as a positive measure that could increase pressure on the president to change government policies in Darfur. Others worry the move could disrupt peacekeeping efforts in the region. “One cannot overestimate the implications of such a move on the situation in Darfur,” said Issaka Souare, a researcher at the Institute for Security Studies in South Africa. “It will … make it difficult for mediators to engage the Sudanese authorities who are already reluctant to cooperate on certain issues with the mediator.”
Legal experts as well as human rights activists say they expect Moreno-Ocampo to name Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. The warrant would make him the first sitting president indicted by ICC for genocide.
Reports out of Sudanese capitol Khartoum say security is being stepped up in anticipation of Monday’s announcement.
The humanitarian crisis in Darfur began in 2003 as rebel groups in the region began to clash with government forces over the allocation of natural resources. Since then, rebel groups have fought against the national army and the Janjaweed, an Arab militia that has reportedly targeted civilians and that many accuse of being funded by the government.
The UN believes that between 200,000 and 300,000 people have been killed in Darfur and 2.5 million have been made homeless since 2003.
Some analysts see Bashir’s potential indictment as a positive measure that could increase pressure on the president to change government policies in Darfur. Others worry the move could disrupt peacekeeping efforts in the region. “One cannot overestimate the implications of such a move on the situation in Darfur,” said Issaka Souare, a researcher at the Institute for Security Studies in South Africa. “It will … make it difficult for mediators to engage the Sudanese authorities who are already reluctant to cooperate on certain issues with the mediator.”
Headline Link: Court Will Likely Seek Arrest of Sudanese President
The Guardian reports that “Moreno-Ocampo will be presenting evidence to a pre-trial tribunal at the ICC on Monday. It will be up to that tribunal to decide whether to pursue an indictment, a decision that could take several weeks.”
Source: Guardian
Background: Crisis in Darfur
The UN considers Darfur to be one of the “world’s greatest humanitarian crises.” In 2003, the UN alerted nations to a war in a small part of Darfur. At first, many believed the scale of the conflict was much smaller than it actually was, but soon reports from Darfurians surfaced about the genocide taking place in the region.
Source: findingDulcinea
The UN estimated a sharp rise in deaths in Darfur in April, saying that after four years of improvements, troop delays and a lack of a viable political solution threatened to reverse gains in the war-torn region.
Source: findingDulcinea
Opinion & Analysis: Will an arrest help or hurt?
Some activists say an arrest would be welcome, but many observers are concerned about such a move, reports Voice of America. “It might also lead to some sort of reprisals against peacekeepers on the ground or an exacerbation of the armed conflict situation,” said Souare.
Source: Voice of America
Jonathan Steele warns against the ICC indicting Omar as-Bashir in the Guardian.” Who would benefit from this? Almost no one. The conflict in Darfur is too complex and the attempts to resolve it are too delicate for so one-sided and blunt an approach.”
Source: Guardian
Key Players: Omar al-Bashir; International Criminal Court
Omar al-Bashir came to power during an Islamist-backed coup in 1989, according to a BBC profile on the Sudanese President. Since he began his presidency, he has introduced elements of Sharia law, opposed by mainly Christian and animist rebels in the south.
Source: BBC
The International Criminal Court is “an independent, permanent court that tries persons accused of the most serious crimes of international concern, namely genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes,” according to its Web site.
Source: International Criminal Court
Reference: Facts behind the situation in Darfur
CNN provides questions and answers about the crisis in Darfur on its Web site, including information about how the violence began, who is involved and what is being done in terms of peacekeeping efforts.
Source: CNN
© 2010 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
