ICC issues war crimes warrant for Sudan's Beshir

Sudan was told to hand over its president to face charges of war crimes in Darfur as the International Criminal Court issued its first ever arrest warrant Wednesday against a sitting head of state.

President Omar al-Beshir's government immediately dismissed the move as thousands of Sudanese took to the streets to vent their anger while his allies, including the African Union and Russia, said it would undermine peace efforts.

However the warrant was hailed by Darfur's rebels, and the US said anyone guilty of atrocities in Darfur must be held accountable. The EU urged Khartoum to fully cooperate with the ICC.

"Today, pre-trial chamber one of the International Criminal Court... issued a warrant for the president of Sudan for war crimes and crimes against humanity," ICC spokeswoman Laurence Blairon told a press conference.

"He is suspected of being criminally responsible... for intentionally directing attacks against an important part of the civilian population of Darfur."

The 65-year-old will face five counts of crimes against humanity and two of war crimes. While Beshir would not face charges of genocide as requested by the ICC's chief prosecutor, they could be added to the warrant at a later stage if more evidence emerged, the spokeswoman added.

Blairon said Beshir bore responsibility for "exterminating, raping and forcibly transferring large numbers of civilians" from the western Sudanese region where a six-year conflict has cost several hundred thousand lives.

She said Beshir and other high-level Sudanese political and military leaders had orchestrated and coordinated the attacks.

Although there was no immediate response from Beshir, his justice minister said Khartoum would not cooperate with the court.

"We will not deal with this court," Abdel Basit Sabdarat told Al-Jazeera television. "It has no jurisdiction, it is a political decision."

Chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said Sudan was legally obliged to enforce the warrant while Blairon said Khartoum could be referred to the UN Security Council if it failed to comply.

"The government of the Sudan is obliged under international law to execute the warrant of arrest on its territory," Moreno-Ocampo, who first asked the court to issue an arrest warrant for Beshir last year, told reporters.

The court's registrar, Silvana Arbia, said a request for Beshir's arrest would be transmitted "immediately" to Khartoum.

Defiant protesters took to the streets of the Sudanese capital, with banner-waving crowds massing on the banks of the Nile.

"We will protect President Beshir with every drop of our blood," chanted another group of demonstrators near Khartoum university.

Aid group officials said Sudan had ordered the expulsion of up to 10 foreign charities after the warrant was issued. UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged the Sudanese government to reverse the expulsions.

Security was beefed up around foreign embassies amid fear of reprisals by Beshir supporters.

A ceasefire has been agreed between the government and opposition groups but deadly clashes go on.









March 4. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke