In 2003, the rebel groups in the Darfur region of Sudan attacked government forces. The rebels were black Africans who had suffered from discrimination at the hands of the Arab-led central government of Sudan. The government, under President Omar Hassan al-Bashir responded with great ferocity. Every human rights abuse in the book was thrown at the people of Darfur, all under the direction and control of President al-Bashir.
Sudan's Long List of Human Rights Abuses
In March 2009, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands issued an arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. He’s wanted on five counts of crimes against humanity including murder, extermination, forcible transfer, torture, and rape, and two counts of war crimes.
Time Magazine lists in its Time 100 publication some of al-Bashir’s gruesome record:
- “most deaths as a result of war strategies (2.5 million in Darfur and southern Sudan);
- “most people rendered homeless by scorched-earth policies (7 million); and,
- “most villages burned to the ground (at least 1,500 in Darfur alone).”
Add to this the untold thousands who have been raped and tortured since the conflict in Darfur began.
Or, as The New York Times put it on March 4, 2009, al-Bashir has been labelled “throughout the world as an incorrigible mass murderer bent on slaughtering his own people in the conflict-riddled region of Darfur.”
International Criminal Court Issues Warrant for Arrest of Omar Hassan al-Bashir
The ICC warrant marks the first time a sitting head of state has been charge with war crimes. As Canada’s former Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy wrote in an article in The Globe and Mail (March 4, 2009) it is “an important declaration to the world that no person, no matter how powerful, is immune from the reach of justice in the 21st century.”
However, there’s a lot of difference between issuing a warrant and actually making the arrest. Who’s going to march into the presidential palace in Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, and slap the handcuffs on al-Bashir? The 108 countries that are members of the ICC are supposed to arrest him if he sets foot in their territory, but he’s not likely to take the risk of a holiday in Paris or Rome. On the other hand, he’s not entirely without friends.
Arab League Backs Sudanese President
At the end of March 2009, President al-Bashir attended the annual summit meeting of the Arab League. The meeting was held in Doha, Qatar, a Persian Gulf state that is not a member of the ICC. As The New York Times reported: “The emir of Qatar, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, greeted Mr. Bashir at the airport with a red carpet treatment, a warm embrace, and a kiss on the cheek.”
The other members of the Arab League closed ranks behind the Sudanese president. They argued that “the court’s action revealed the West’s double standard in dealing with Arabs by indicting Mr. Bashir while taking no action against what they saw as war crimes committed by Israel during its offensive in Gaza.”
In the past, leaders charged with war crimes have usuallyu been apprehended only after government changes in their home countries. The world may have to wait a while to see al-Bashir face his accusers.
Rupert Taylor - Rupert Taylor is the editor of a magazine that provides background to current events.
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