Sudan denies reports on evacuation of UN staff

February 27, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — The Sudanese government said today not aware of the evacuation of the families of the UN staff from the country before the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on a request for an arrest warrant against the President Omer Al-Bashir.

Reports from the Sudanese capital say the UN missions urged its personnel to evacuate their families from the country as well as asked its staff who are in vacations outside the Sudan not to return in the coming days.

The spokesperson of the foreign ministry, Ali Sadiq said today that his ministry had not received from the UN missions in the country (UNAMID and UNMIS) any indication of abnormal procedures with regard to their operations in Darfur and in the South Sudan.

He described news reports on the issue as false.

The ICC judges stated that they would announce their decision on the application of arrest warrant filed since last July against the Sudanese President on Wednesday March 4. The UN mission in Darfur raised security to Phase Four, the highest level on the UN’s planning.

However the evacuation of the UN personnel intervenes in Phase Five. In this phase, will remain in Sudan only those required for Security Council-mandated activities related to the maintenance of international peace and security.

Sadiq stressed that Sudanese government would hold its full responsibilities with respect to the obligations under Vienna Convention on diplomatic and consular relations.

He further said “The protection of United Nations missions and foreign embassies at the heart of the government duties, and the government will fully shoulder it whether the ICC issued its decision or not.”

The U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon admitted Thursday that the expected arrest warrant for Sudanese President Al-Bashir could cause political instability in the country but urged the Sudanese government to protect the UN staff there.

“Whatever happens (Sudan) must protect U.N. personnel” and act responsibly, said Ban ki-Moon from Tanzania where he arrived to attend a meeting on African issues.

Last July the ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo requested that the judges issue an arrest warrant for Bashir on three counts of genocide, five of crimes against humanity and two of murder. Ocampo accused Al-Bashir of masterminding a campaign to get rid of the African tribes in Darfur; Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa.

UN experts estimate some 300,000 people have died and 2.5 million driven from their homes. Sudan blames the Western media for exaggerating the conflict and puts the death toll at 10,000.

(ST)