Sudanese President Could Face Genocide Charges in Darfur

The prosecutor for the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday filed charges against Sudanese President, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, for masterminding the genocide of nearly 300,000 people in Darfur through his regime of terror, rape and hunger that now has 2.5 million people living in refugee camps, according to the AP.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the ICC prosecutor, petitioned a three-judge panel to seek the arrest warrant for President al- Bashir to prevent further genocide of the 2.5 million forced to live in refugee camps by the terror of armed Sudanese forces and the Janjaweed militia. If the judges grant the arrest warrant Interpol will arrest al-Bashir once he steps outside the Sudanese border or he could be extradited to The Hague. But the judges are expected to take months to study all the evidence brought against al- Bashir before they make the decision to issue an arrest warrant. If granted, the Sudanese president would face 10 charges: three counts of genocide, five of crimes against humanity and two of murder.

The petition for al-Bashir's arrest followed years of protest from the international community, humanitarians and even some Hollywood celebrities to end genocide in Darfur. And as recent as yesterday, thousands of protesters rallied in Khartoum to urge the ICC to end the genocide that had been ignored for far too long.

The Associated Press reports that a victim cited in the prosecutor's case paints a horrid picture of life in Darfur. Torture, hunger and rape are rampant. The victim said that "Maybe around 20 men rape one woman. These things are normal for us here in Darfur. I have seen rapes too. It does not matter who sees them raping the women - they don't care. They rape girls in front of their mothers and fathers." The ICC prosecutor Moreno-Ocampo said rape in Darfur is systemic, adding that women as old as 70 years old and girls as young as six years old are subject to rape daily.

Also, the Janjaweed has been targeting the refugee camps, denying those driven from their homes as far back as 2004 from access to food and water being provided by international humanitarian organizations.

Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamed, Sudan's ambassador to the United Nations said the Sudanese president is weighing all his options in response to the possible charges against him, including an unidentified military response.

Al-Bashir is expected to visit the United Nations General Assembly in September, where a possible arrest could be made. However, Ambassador Mohammed said such a move would be a declaration of war on Sudan.

Since Sudan is not a member of the ICC it is not bound by the decisions of the court said the head of Sudan's Bar Association. So, the decisions of the court will likely not be upheld or acknowledged by the Sudanese government.

In an address on Sudan state television, President al- Bashir said enforced this belief saying, "From the beginning we said we are not a member of the court ... the court has no jurisdiction over Sudan." Al- Bashir adds that his government is not involved in ethnic cleansing and said the charges being sought against him are mere lies.

But the ICC prosecutor is determined to go forward with his charges against al- Bashir even amid fears of a backlash against Darfur refugees and the expulsion of relief agencies and peacekeeping troops in the war-torn African nation.

Source: The Associated Press, Sudanese president charged with genocide in Darfur, retrieved July 14, 2008.

Reuters, Sudan's Bashir says ICC has no jurisdiction, retrieved July 14, 2008.