Sudan

ICC to issue warrant for al-Beshir

Article published on the 2009-02-12 Latest update 2009-02-12 09:57 TU

ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo

The International Criminal Court has approved an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir over alleged war crimes and genocide in Darfur, the New York Times newspaper reported Wednesday. It is the first time that the court has sought the arrest of a sitting head of state.

The newspaper cited court lawyers and diplomats, saying that the decision had been communicated to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and would be officially announced within days.

The ICC denied the report. "At this moment, there is no arrest warrant", said court spokesperson Laurence Blairon.

Before the article appeared, Ban urged Khartoum to act responsibly if an arrest warrant is issued for Beshir.

“It will be very important for President Beshir and the Sudanese government to react very responsibly and ensure the safety and security of UN peacekeepers and protect the human rights of the population,” Ban told a press conference Tuesday.

Relations between Ban and Beshir are extremely tense, and when the two men met at the African Union summit in Addis Ababa on Sunday, a “shouting match” broke out, diplomats report. They say that Beshir vented his anger at Ban for the court’s actions, which is formally independent of the UN.

Ban, in return, insisted that Beshir guarantee the safety of UN personnel in Sudan, regardless of the court’s decisions.

The charges listed against Beshir have not been released, but when ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo requested the warrant last July, he said he had evidence implicating Beshir in war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide relating to a military campaign that “purposefully targeted civilians” that was “masterminded” by Beshir.

The prospect of an arrest warrant has already caused a diplomatic rift, with the AU and members of the Arab League demanding that the warrant be postponed for a year, arguing that doingo so would help bring about a peace deal in Darfur.

In addition, there is widespread fear that removing Beshir from power could threaten the 2005 peace treaty signed by Khartoum and the SPLM rebels in the south of the country, bringing an end to a decades-long civil war estimated to have killed 2.2 million people.

The ICC has already issued two warrants in the Darfur investigation. One for former government minister Ahmad Harun and another for Ali Kushayb, the leader of a government-backed militia. Neither has been arrested.

Moreno-Ocampo requested in November three arrest warrants for Darfur rebel leaders accused of killing 12 AU peacekeepers. They have publicly stated that they would surrender to the court.