Prosecuting Beshir won’t help Darfur: Kenyan PM

Prosecuting Beshir won’t help Darfur: Kenyan PM
9 hours ago

LONDON (AFP) — Prosecuting Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir for alleged war crimes in Darfur is not going to end the conflict, Kenya’s Prime Minister Raila Odinga said in an interview with BBC television Sunday.

“I think that, basically, to try to exonerate people here and there or to appropriate blame is not going to resolve the issue of Darfur,” he told the broadcaster from Nairobi when asked about his view of the move.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) was asked last Monday for Beshir to be arrested on genocide charges. If granted, the arrest warrant would be the first issued by the court against a sitting head of state.

The request, from ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, has prompted criticism, notably from the Arab League, some of whose members have said it threatens the prospects for peace in the troubled western Sudanese region.

Leaders of the African Union have also warned that indicting Beshir could lead to a power vacuum in Sudan, increasing the risk of military coups and even anarchy, scuppering efforts to resolve the situation.

Odinga said: “So many lives have been lost in Darfur.

“I think it’s necessary for the African Union to be much more proactive on this issue, to lead the way, so that the rest of the international community supports the initiative of the African Union.”