Sudan’s Bashir calls on Darfuri to unite, promises development
March 18, 2009 (NYALA) — The Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir called on the people of Darfur to unite and move towards peace, in his second trip to the region.
During the visit, the Sudanese President rallied thousands of Arab tribesmen who pledged to support him against any external threat.
“We want to reunify the people of Darfur and we call on all our sons and brothers who bear arms to put them down… you have taken up arms to demand development and development has now started and it continues” he said.
Bashir has been addressing almost daily rallies throughout the country after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him earlier this month on seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, which include murder, rape and torture.
The Sudanese president challenged The Hague based court and the UN Security Council (UNSC) to execute the arrest warrant against him or change the regime.
“No ICC or Security Council or any other party will change our path or touch an eyelash in our eye” al-Bashir shouted at the rally in Nyala’s nomad Sabadou area. “The president of Sudan is not elected by Britain or America. Sudan is an independent country”.
Bashir also said that Western countries want to create chaos in Darfur similar to that in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Those criminals want to do the same in Sudan. We will not give them the chance to sabotage our country” he said.
Bashir reacted angrily to the ICC move and ordered the expulsion of more than a dozen aid groups operating in Darfur and Northern Sudan.
(ST)