The Sudan government has officially refused to hand over the ousted president, Omar al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for trial over alleged war crimes. Sudan’s envoy to the United Nations (UN) told the Security Council that the former leader and his co-accused would only be tried in the country next week.
Sudan representative, Elsadig Ahmed, argued the country insisted the deposed leader would not be handed over.
“We are not obliged towards the Court,” Ahmed said, reported CAJ News Africa.
He said the Public Prosecutor had begun investigations on Al‑Bashir, Abdel Raheem Hussein, and Ahmad Harun ahead of a trial before a national judiciary next week.
The refusal follows a call out by the head of the International Criminal Court to Sudan’s transitional authorities to hand over or prosecute Bashir and four others over atrocities committed in the western Darfur region.
On Wednesday, Fatou Bensouda, the court’s chief prosecutor, told the UN Security Council that although Sudan faced an uncertain future, it was now time to act and ensure that the ICC suspects face justice.
“Now is the time for the people of Sudan to choose law over the impunity and ensure that the ICC suspects in the Darfur situation finally face justice in a court,” Ms. Bensouda said.
She said that two other ICC suspects were also reportedly detained in Khartoum.
“The former status quo is over,” Ms. Bensouda said. “Mr. Omar Al Bashir has been deposed, arrested, detained and charged with domestic offenses.”
The prosecutor said Sudan remains under a legal obligation to transfer the suspects to the ICC to stand trial. She said that she is ready to work with authorities to ensure that the Darfur suspects face independent and impartial justice either at the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands or in Sudan if its court meets international standards.
Negotiation on Sudan’s transition is at a standoff after the security forces initiated a violent crackdown on a protest camp in the capital Khartoum. According to the protest and opposition alliance, at least 128 people were killed when the security forces forcibly tried to disperse the protestors from the sit-in area outside the military’s headquarters on June 3. The Sudan authorities put the death toll at 61, including three from security forces.
