By Abdul Kimera
Sudan’s transition government promised to support the International Criminal Court on prosecution efforts over the Darfur conflict after taking over power in 2019. It has finally agreed to hand over these officials, including the former president Omar Al-Bashir for war crimes trial.
The 77-year old who also ruled Sudan with an iron fist for 30years has been wanted by the ICC for more than 10 years over charges of genocide and war crimes that happened in the Sudanese region of Darfur in 2003 between ethnic armed forces.
The Darfur war broke out in 2003 when non Arab rebels took up arms complaining of discrimination by then president Omar Al- Bashir Arab dominated government.
It later responded by unleashing the janjaweed by killing, raping, looting and burning villages.
According to the United Nations, over 300,000 people where killed in this conflict and over 2.5 million displaced.
After his over throw in 2019, the former president has been jailed in Sudan on charges of corruption and the 1984 coup that brought him to power.
Along side him are other two officials in his government including the former defense minister Abdel Rahim Mohammad and former governor of south Kordofan Ahmed Haroun also facing the ICC war crime charges with him.
It remains unclear yet if Omar Al-Bashir would be extradicted to face trial in the Hague based court or could remain in Sudan due to the fact that the country is not being party to the courts founding Rome statute.
Some sources say last week the cabinet voted to ratify the Rome statute, to potentially make him [Omar Al-Bashir] and others face trial.
The cabinet’s decision to hand him over came during the visit by the ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan but, it still needs the approval of Sudan’s ruling sovereign council.
Sudan has been led by a transitional military-civilian administration since August 2019 that has continually pledged to bring justice to victims of crimes committed under Bashir’s administration.
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