BBC NEWS
Sudan head accused of war crimes
Sudan's president has been accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war
crimes in Darfur by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.
Luis Moreno-Ocampo told judges at The Hague that Omar al-Bashir bore criminal
responsibility for alleged atrocities committed over the past five years.
The three-judge panel must now decide whether there are reasonable grounds for
an arrest warrant to be issued.
Sudan's government has warned the move will undermine peace process in Darfur.
The country does not recognise the ICC and has refused to hand over two
suspects who Mr Moreno-Ocampo charged last year, Humanitarian Affairs Minister
Ahmad Harun and militia leader Ali Kushayb.
It has also labelled Mr Moreno-Ocampo a criminal, and warned that any
indictment could stall peace talks and cause mayhem in Sudan.
We condemn in the strongest possible terms this move by this criminal Ocampo
Abdalmahmood Mohamad
Sudanese representative to UN
The BBC's Laura Trevelyan at The Hague says that while some will welcome this
move as a victory for justice, others fear it may spark further violence.
The UN estimates that some 300,000 people have died as a result of the conflict
in Darfur since 2003, while more than two million people have fled their homes.
Sudan's government is accused of mobilising Arab militias to attack black
African civilians in Darfur, after rebels took up arms in 2003 - charges it
denies.
'Absolute control'
In a statement, Mr Moreno-Ocampo's office said he had submitted a report which
concluded that there were "reasonable grounds to believe that [President
Bashir] bears criminal responsibility in relation to 10 counts of genocide,
crimes against humanity and war crimes".
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Luis Moreno-Ocampo on the accusations
Mr Moreno-Ocampo said evidence showed that the president "masterminded and
implemented a plan to destroy in substantial part the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa
groups, on account of their ethnicity" when they rebelled against the
government.
"His motives were largely political. His alibi was a 'counterinsurgency'. His
intent was genocide," Mr Moreno-Ocampo said.
The prosecutor said pro-government militias, on Mr Bashir's orders, attacked
and destroyed villages from the three groups, then pursued survivors into the
desert.
Those who reached the camps for the displaced people were subjected to
conditions calculated to bring about their destruction, he added, with the
president obstructing international assistance and his forces surrounding them.
ACCUSATIONS AGAINST BASHIR
Three counts of genocide for killing or causing serious bodily or mental harm
to ethnic groups
Five counts of crimes against humanity for murder, forcible transfer, torture
and rape
Two counts of war crimes for attacks on civilians in Darfur and for pillaging
towns and villages
"In the camps Bashir's forces kill the men and rape the women," he said. "I
don't have the luxury to look away. I have evidence."
Mr Moreno-Ocampo said the president had prevented the truth about the crimes
from being revealed and "promoted and provided impunity to his subordinates in
order to secure their willingness to commit genocide".
"Bashir is the president. He is the commander in chief. Those are not just
formal words. He used the whole state apparatus, he used the army, he enrolled
the militia/Janjaweed. They all report to him, they all obey him. His control
is absolute," he added.
'Disastrous'
On Sunday, thousands of people rallied in the Sudanese capital Khartoum to show
their support for Mr Bashir and to denounce the anticipated charges.
Sudan's representative at the United Nations told the BBC that any charges
against Mr Bashir would be disastrous for the security and stability of Sudan.
"We condemn in the strongest possible terms this move by this criminal Ocampo,"
said Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamad.
The ruling National Congress party meanwhile warned of "more violence and
blood" in Darfur.
Mr Bashir said he had been angered by talk of his possible arrest, but added
that it made him more determined to push for peace.
"This talk has angered us and prompted us to move this way. We will move
forward, God willing. We are committed to remove the country from a crisis," he
told state radio.
But a leader of one of the factions of the Sudan Liberation Army rebel group
told the BBC it would welcome any action by the ICC.
"The regime in Khartoum committed a big crime… We think the ICC is going the
right way," Abdul Khalil said.
Peacekeeping fears
Earlier, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told the French newspaper, Le Figaro,
that he was "very worried" about the possible impact of any indictment on
peacekeeping operations and the political process, but added that "nobody can
evade justice".
A UN spokeswoman said it had already raised the security alert level for its
staff in Darfur. The joint United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur
(Unamid), which has 9,000 troops, has been struggling to contain the violence.
It has raised the security alert for its staff to "level four", which stops
short of evacuating all staff, but relocates foreign workers who are not
directly involved in relief or security operations.
John O'Shea, director of Irish aid agency Goal, warned the Sudanese government
and its supporters not to seek revenge against international aid agencies and
peacekeepers for the ICC's moves.
"Should the Sudanese government take that type of action, they're in a way
shooting themselves in the foot," he told the BBC.
"The NGO community and the UN agencies have done a very good job in the context
of looking after hundreds of thousands of vulnerable and desperately poor
people."
The ICC was set up in 2002 as the world's first permanent war crimes court.
Other international courts have previously indicted Serbia's President Slobodan
Milosevic and President Charles Taylor of Liberia.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc..co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7504640.stm
Published: 2008/07/14 12:05:16 GMT
© BBC MMVIII
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Jusfiq Hadjar gelar Sutan Maradjo Lelo
Allah yang disembah orang Islam tipikal dan yang digambarkan oleh al-Mushaf itu
dungu, buas, kejam, keji, ganas, zalim lagi biadab hanyalah Allah fiktif.
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