Sudan says African states mulling withdrawal from ICC
June 1, 2010 (KHARTOUM) — The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) in Sudan today said that there African states which are convening in Uganda are considering a mass withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The Secretary General of political mobilization at the NCP Haj Magid Siwar told the pro-government Sudanese Media Center (SMC) that Rome Statute review conference taking place in Kampala aims at drumming up regional and African support to control NGOs in the continent through the ICC.
Delegates from ICC member states are meeting in Uganda’s capital Kampala over the next 10 days to discuss the ICC, set up in 2002 as the world’s first permanent war crimes court, and seek to give it extra powers to prosecute crimes of state aggression.
Sudan has criticized Uganda’s hosting of the conference suggesting it is a breach of Africa’s solidarity in the wake of ICC arrest warrant issued for president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir last year. The African Union (AU) condemned the warrant and decided that its members will not cooperate with the court in apprehending the Sudanese leader.
But a bid by Sudan to have African nations withdraw from the Rome Statue has failed despite intense lobbying at a meeting by signatories held in Addis Ababa last year.
The NCP official said that the conference will not come out with any gains to the court but is rather a “political event” that will not impact relations with relations with neighboring countries and other African nations. However, he warned that the purpose of the meeting is to target African leaders and create a new stage in neo-colonialism.
He further stressed that Sudan will not allow any Sudanese to be part of the conference describing any such move as “treason”.
Over the weekend, Sudanese authorities blocked three opposition members and rights activists from travelling to the Ugandan capital Kampala saying it is not appropriate for any citizen to be part of a conference “which targets Sudan”.
Speaking from Kampala, the ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said that arresting Bashir “is a matter of time”.
“Arresting al-Bashir is a matter of time … he is isolated,” he told reporters.
The ICC has mostly focused on African conflicts where governments referred cases, including Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army rebellion. Sudan’s Darfur conflict was the first case to be referred to the court by the U.N. Security Council in 2005.
In March 2009, the ICC issued an arrest warrant against Bashir, who has snubbed the court and denied the allegations as part of a Western conspiracy against his government.
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Aduol Liet
Sudan says African states mulling withdrawal from ICC
ICC Judges God will keep you.
I agree with the International Judges, which is you this is just a matter of time since the indictment was proposed this Omar al Bashir is making proud thinking that, maybe the ICC has forgotten what they said, but from what I know there is nothing will change the law. We have been asking united nation and others superpowers to make sure that, if this case for Sudan fail then, it will have effect in some days when dictator refuse and because of that, we thinks the united nation is big than Omar al Bashir dictatorship and this Sudan indictment must not be allow to get a way with so many crimes he has committed in the eyes of the whole world.
We all knows that, Omar al Bashir was trying very hard to make general election fraud so that, he will claim or shown such arrogant to the ICC but I don’t think anyone will buy it we all knew there is no democratic system in the Sudan’s government. Jailing Omar al Bashir is very important thing not merely the case for Sudanese alone but it is important, because he have had been associate with so many groups in the world. He does not respected others nations for example, he is supporting the Islamic groups of Somilia on the other hand also he has a connection with Iran president and there are many accompanies being transfer from Iran to Sudan just to develop the chemical weapons factory. Omar al Bashir also is supporting Uganda Rebels and his Idea is to make destruction in Southern Sudan instead the Uganda Rebels should not be involve in killing none Ugandans people but Bashir told them to do so, now I am wondering why people don’t think about how bad the presence of this indictment is. Omar al Bashir must be arrest if we want to keep the lives of the people safe if not then, Omar al Bashir will soon risingup against the Western nations for sure. On November 11,2008 he said, the ICC allegations are like Mosquito and he was accusing French, UK, Germany and the United States of America. I hope the United nation will not allow someone like this Sudan president who have been disobeying the rule of the International law and we want him to go to jail if possible or go to hell that is another good Idea.
Angelo Achuil
Sudan says African states mulling withdrawal from ICC
To Bashire: You wants to continue ruling the civilians of whom most you have killed good number, you wants to continue evading the court, thousands more may suffer and die under you new dictatorship (I wonder what kind of oath you really took!) and yet hopes to continue prospering. I wonder how long you will continue juggling the same game with grim defiance on your face.