Sudan President Charged With Darfur War Crimes

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Bashir Warrant Adds New Tension to Darfur Crisis

The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan for atrocities committed in Darfur.

The arrest warrant lists five counts of crimes against humanity -- murder, extermination, forcible transfer, torture, and rape -- and two counts of war crimes, intentionally directing attacks against civilians and pillaging. He has not been accused of genocide.

President Bashir's alleged crimes were committed in Darfur, where the U.N. says some 300,000 people have died and more than 2.5 million forced to flee their homes since 2003.

President Bashir can continue traveling to countries like China, which has not signed up to the International Criminal Court. But now that he has been indicted, he will have to be careful about his route or face arrest and trial.

Quotes

"I say to them: Put these resolutions in water and drink the lot." -Omar Al-Bashir, Sudan President

"As soon Omar al-Bashir travels through international airspace, he can be arrested. Like Slobodan Milosevic or Charles Taylor, Omar al-Bashir's destiny is to face justice. It will be in two months or in two years, but he will face justice." - Luis Moreno-Ocampo, chief prosecutor, International Criminal Court

Warm Up Questions

1. What is genocide?

2. What happened in Darfur, Sudan earlier this decade?

Discussion Questions

1. Do you think President Bashir will be found guilty? Why or why not?

2. What are war crimes? What responsibility does a country's leader have during a period of war?

3. Make a prediction: do you think President Bashir will face trial?

4. Research some other leaders charged with war crimes: Charles Taylor of Liberia, Idi Amin of Uganda, Slobodan Milosevic of Serbia-- what happened to these men? Did they think they had done anything wrong?

Comments

Posted:
03/ 7/09 at
05:45 AM

ALI ALI : Dear Jim, I worked in the Sudan as aid and development worker for 10 years and I have the following immediate reservations of this particular ICC decision: 1. The announcement came a day after the opening ceremony of the largest dam in sub-sahara africa, which is inaugurated by President Albashir himself....The dam is going to bring electricity and agricultural development projects to entire Sudan with a potential to export energy to neighbouring countries, etc....this event deserved a limelight 2- ICC investigators have never visited Sudan, particularly Darfur where the crimes have happened...I think the existence of IDP camps is not enough to proof atrocity.... 3. Darfur region is large and has 13 major populations centers, including two international airports, i.e. EL Fasher and Nyala. No single fighting has ever happened in the big cities except of a small 2 hour attack by SLA on EL Fasher airport in February 2004...Actually the Darfuri communities live side by side in the cities and coexist peacefully unlike Somalia and Congo where neighbours are cleaning along clan and sub-clain lines 4. There are working peace processes, i.e. CPA in South Sudan with election and referendum just around the corner, East Sudan peace agreement, etc. UNMIS has fully deployed and helping keeping the peace in South Sudan.. 5. Vibrant and growing private sector floursihing with lots of Sudanese entrepreneurs returing from the diaspora and other investments coming in to improve the situation, etc 5. UNAMID is deploying in Darfur fully and with lots of cooperation from both Government and rebels. I understand its difficult and/or too late to challenge the media dimonisation of Sudan but I write it to you with a hope that you will share with those reasonable voices around...Thanks

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Posted:
03/ 7/09 at
05:45 AM

ALI ALI : Dear Jim, I worked in the Sudan as aid and development worker for 10 years and I have the following immediate reservations of this particular ICC decision: 1. The announcement came a day after the opening ceremony of the largest dam in sub-sahara africa, which is inaugurated by President Albashir himself....The dam is going to bring electricity and agricultural development projects to entire Sudan with a potential to export energy to neighbouring countries, etc....this event deserved a limelight 2- ICC investigators have never visited Sudan, particularly Darfur where the crimes have happened...I think the existence of IDP camps is not enough to proof atrocity.... 3. Darfur region is large and has 13 major populations centers, including two international airports, i.e. EL Fasher and Nyala. No single fighting has ever happened in the big cities except of a small 2 hour attack by SLA on EL Fasher airport in February 2004...Actually the Darfuri communities live side by side in the cities and coexist peacefully unlike Somalia and Congo where neighbours are cleaning along clan and sub-clain lines 4. There are working peace processes, i.e. CPA in South Sudan with election and referendum just around the corner, East Sudan peace agreement, etc. UNMIS has fully deployed and helping keeping the peace in South Sudan.. 5. Vibrant and growing private sector floursihing with lots of Sudanese entrepreneurs returing from the diaspora and other investments coming in to improve the situation, etc 5. UNAMID is deploying in Darfur fully and with lots of cooperation from both Government and rebels. I understand its difficult and/or too late to challenge the media dimonisation of Sudan but I write it to you with a hope that you will share with those reasonable voices around...Thanks