SLM’s Al-Nur urges to press Sudan on ICC and aid groups
March 5, 2009 (PARIS) — The leader of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement urged the international community to put pressures on the Sudanese government to cooperate with the International Criminal Court and to allow aid workers to alleviate the needs of IDPs in Darfur.
Abdel Wahid Al-Nur made his call 24 hours after the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber 1 announced its decision to issue an arrest warrant for the Sudanese President Omer Hassan Al-Bashir. The Court rejected to indict the president on counts of genocide but agreed with the prosecutor on the counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Since yesterday the rebel leader welcomed the ICC decision to make possible the arrest of the Sudanese president. He also expressed his readiness to cooperate with the world court.
“The international community and particularly the permanent members of the UN Security Council should press Bashir and his government to render himself to The Hague court,” Abdel Wahid said.
He added that the arrest of Bashir would stop the armed conflict and help to settle the conflict peacefully.
Bashir, speaking this evening in a meeting held with leaders of Sudanese political forces, said the ICC decision would not affect the work of his government. He also pledged to pursue the Doha talks for peace in Darfur with JEM rebels.
Yesterday the local authorities expelled some 13 foreign NGOs and dissolved two rights groups hours after the ICC decision. A UN official said Sudan had prepared this move. Observers say the expulsion is part of Sudan’s plans to put pressures on the international community to suspend the ICC jurisdiction on Darfur crimes.
However, Al-Nur who is popular among the displaced and refugees, appealed to the international community to be extremely severe with Khartoum to reverse its decision. He added this eviction would put at risk the life of more than one million people in Darfur.
Al-Nur added that eviction of the 13 NGOs means to eliminate any witness before renewing attacks on civilians and resuming violence in the war-torn region. “They plan to exterminate the defenseless civilians there,” he accused.
He further said that this move once again proves that this government does not implement agreements or laws. Al-Nur pointed out that the current interim constitution is designed to promote cooperation with relief agencies.
Roughly 6,500 national and international personnel, which equates to 40 percent of the aid workers in Darfur, are departing in the wake of the Sudan government’s decision, according to the United Nations.
(ST)