Sudan/ICC

Beshir defies international court at Darfur rally

Article published on the 2009-03-08 Latest update 2009-03-08 10:15 TU

Beshir in traditional southern headdress in Khartoum Saturday
(Photo: Reuters)

At a rally in North Darfur on Sunday, Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir swore that his country "will never hand over any Sudanese citizen" to the International Criminal Court, which has issued a warrant for his arrest. The visit to the war-torn region is seen as a gesture of defiance to the court and his international critics.

On the visit to the region which was the scene of his alleged crimes, Beshir said that his international opponents "speak as if they are the masters of the world".

"They are angry with us because we are attached to God and the teachings of the prophet," he told a large crowd, which had turned out to oppose the warrant.

Beshir travelled from the airport at the state capital, El-Fasher, in an open-topped vehicle, waving to thousands of people who lined the route.

Officials in Khartoum say that there will be no going back on the decision to expel aid agencies, which it accuses of co-operation with the international court.

"The decision of the authorities expelling foreign organisations... is an irreversible decision," Foreign Ministry official Murtif Sidiq said in a statement carried by the official Suna news agency.

The UN says that the expulsions will reduce the aid capacity  in Darfur by "more than half", leaving 1.1 million people without food, 1.5 million people without health care and more than a million without drinking water.