FortySouth

The United Nations Security Council on Friday deadlocked on what action to take following the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) indictment of President Omar al-Bashir:

Mr. Bashir’s supporters, led by Libya and China, insisted that any official statement issued by the Council simultaneously address the potential humanitarian crisis and a possible deferral of the charges, while Western nations blasted the idea of linking the two issues and warned of a potential humanitarian catastrophe that could affect millions.

In the meantime, aid agencies have been expelled from the region leaving hundreds of thousands without medical assistance and food. Continue reading

Following the International Criminal Court’s issuance of an arrest warrant for the president of Sudan Omar al-Bashir, a number of major aid agencies in the region have been sent packing by the Government.

The agencies include:

• Medecines sans Frontieres (MSF)
• Oxfam International
• International Rescue Committee

Dr. Christophe Fournier, the International President of MSF warned of the fragility of the relief situation in the region in a statement from the organization:

“The order to expel MSF from Darfur is a dramatic turn of events that will have unprecedented consequences for the people of the region. Much of the population of Darfur is totally dependent on international humanitarian aid..

The sudden halt of our medical programs, including vital surgical, nutrition, and basic healthcare programs, in large areas of Darfur will have an immediate and devastating impact on the population.”

I imagine that this scenario had been simulated by the ICC in the rendering of their decision. This development vastly complicates the situation – the African Union has vowed not to enforce the arrest warrant after a meeting on Thursday to discuss ICC’s ruling, meaning that President al-Bashir will continue to roam a free man for who knows how long; on the other hand, thousands upon thousands of Sudanese in the Darfur region face starvation and widespread disease due to lack of proper medical attention.

So question is, who now plays the next hand? The AU won’t budge, the US is not a signatory to the Rome Treaty and the ICC has no police force of its own!

What now, is the response to the deteriorating situation in Darfur?

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. How crazy is that? As much as this result was more-or-less expected, it’s still sort of unprecedented to apprehend a sitting president in this manner.

What is not laughable are the charges levelled against him:

The three judges, acting on evidence gathered by the chief prosecutor’s office, found that the Sudanese president has been personally and criminally responsible for organising attacks against the civilian population of Darfur, “murdering, exterminating, raping, torturing and forcibly transferring large numbers of civilians and pillaging their property.”

So what happens next? How will he be “arrested”? Continue reading