Sudan envoy condemns ICC warrant
Oct 05, 2009
THE International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against the Sudanese leader, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, is a big obstacle to the realisation of peace in Sudan, the country’s ambassador to Uganda, Hussein Awad Ali, has said.
By Madinah Tebajjukira
THE International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against the Sudanese leader, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, is a big obstacle to the realisation of peace in Sudan, the country’s ambassador to Uganda, Hussein Awad Ali, has said.
He said since Bashir and the head of the Southern Sudan government, Gen. Salva Kiir, were in charge of implementing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which was signed in Naivasha in 2005, the warrant would jeopardise the process.
“The peace process is underway and Bashir is entirely responsible for its implementation and the security of the country. When you issue an arrest warrant, you are blocking the peace process, because his movement is limited, and he cannot do any consultation on the matter,†Ali said.
He was addressing a press conference on Wednesday at the Sudanese Embassy in Kampala.
Ali added that the warrant was politically motivated to keep Sudan in turmoil and to make it underdeveloped.
He warned that if the peace process is not handled well, the entire region will be affected. Ali criticised the ICC prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo, for basing on what he called false information to issue the warrant.
He explained that Ocampo did not conduct any thorough investigation on the allegations against Bashir before issuing the warrant.
Ali said Ocampo wants to use the Darfur problem for personal gains. “Ocampo wants to start with Sudan, which he thinks would not challenge him to build his professional career. He is not looking for justice but for galvanised politics,†Ali emphasised.
He noted that Sudan and the United States of America were not signatories to the UN Security Council, but wondered why no arrest warrant had been issued against President George Bush over the atrocities committed in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Ali argued that African leaders were key to solving the Darfur problem because they understand the problem better than international agencies.
He appealed to African leaders to withdraw their signatures from the UN Security Council, which empowers the ICC to arrest and try heads of state against war crimes.
“African leaders should re-think their membership with the UN Security Council. They might indirectly be throwing their countries into problems,†Ali said.
He pointed out that though the ICC is mandated to build justice in states, which have undergone insurgencies, it had diverted and was concentrating on political ambitions.
The ICC in the Hague issued a warrant for the arrest of Bashir in March this year over war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Bashir is suspected to have intentionally ordered the military against the civilian population in Darfur in south-west Sudan, which resulted in alleged murder, torture and rape of women by the soldiers.
According to the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber 1, Bashir’s status as a sitting head of state does not guarantee him immunity against prosecution.
THE International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against the Sudanese leader, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, is a big obstacle to the realisation of peace in Sudan, the country’s ambassador to Uganda, Hussein Awad Ali, has said.
He said since Bashir and the head of the Southern Sudan government, Gen. Salva Kiir, were in charge of implementing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which was signed in Naivasha in 2005, the warrant would jeopardise the process.
“The peace process is underway and Bashir is entirely responsible for its implementation and the security of the country. When you issue an arrest warrant, you are blocking the peace process, because his movement is limited, and he cannot do any consultation on the matter,†Ali said.
He was addressing a press conference on Wednesday at the Sudanese Embassy in Kampala.
Ali added that the warrant was politically motivated to keep Sudan in turmoil and to make it underdeveloped.
He warned that if the peace process is not handled well, the entire region will be affected. Ali criticised the ICC prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo, for basing on what he called false information to issue the warrant.
He explained that Ocampo did not conduct any thorough investigation on the allegations against Bashir before issuing the warrant.
Ali said Ocampo wants to use the Darfur problem for personal gains. “Ocampo wants to start with Sudan, which he thinks would not challenge him to build his professional career. He is not looking for justice but for galvanised politics,†Ali emphasised.
He noted that Sudan and the United States of America were not signatories to the UN Security Council, but wondered why no arrest warrant had been issued against President George Bush over the atrocities committed in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Ali argued that African leaders were key to solving the Darfur problem because they understand the problem better than international agencies.
He appealed to African leaders to withdraw their signatures from the UN Security Council, which empowers the ICC to arrest and try heads of state against war crimes.
“African leaders should re-think their membership with the UN Security Council. They might indirectly be throwing their countries into problems,†Ali said.
He pointed out that though the ICC is mandated to build justice in states, which have undergone insurgencies, it had diverted and was concentrating on political ambitions.
The ICC in the Hague issued a warrant for the arrest of Bashir in March this year over war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Bashir is suspected to have intentionally ordered the military against the civilian population in Darfur in south-west Sudan, which resulted in alleged murder, torture and rape of women by the soldiers.
According to the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber 1, Bashir’s status as a sitting head of state does not guarantee him immunity against prosecution.