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Sudan's President to Face Genocide Charge

Some fear move out of the Hague could fuel instability in region

By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff

Posted Jul 11, 2008 8:50 AM CDT
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(Newser) – The International Criminals Court will charge Sudan leader Omar Hassan al-Bashir with genocide Monday in the wake of a five-year campaign of violence that has left hundreds of thousands dead, the Washington Post reports. It will be the first time the court has charged a sitting head of state. But some at the UN worry the move will disrupt peacekeeping and relief efforts in Darfur, perhaps sparking a military backlash against UN and African Union forces.

“The mission is so fragile, it would not take much for the whole thing to come crashing down,” said a UN official, while Sudan’s UN ambassador spoke of “grave repercussions” if the ICC moves forward. But “if the international community stands firm and makes it clear that these kinds of responses will only make matters worse for Bashir...then he will relent,” said the head of a watchdog group.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, right, meets with visiting delegation of U.N. Security Council ambassadors in Khartoum, Sudan Thursday, June 5, 2008.
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, right, meets with visiting delegation of U.N. Security Council ambassadors in Khartoum, Sudan Thursday, June 5, 2008.   (AP Photo/Abd Raouf)
President of Sudan Omar al-Bashir surrounded by body guards at UN Conference Hall in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Friday, Feb 1, 2008, during the Assembly of African Union 10th Ordinary Session.
President of Sudan Omar al-Bashir surrounded by body guards at UN Conference Hall in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Friday, Feb 1, 2008, during the Assembly of African Union 10th Ordinary Session.   (AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)
Argentinian Luis Moreno Ocampo, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, speaks about the situation in Darfur during a film festival and human rights forum in Geneva, March 12, 2008.
Argentinian Luis Moreno Ocampo, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, speaks about the situation in Darfur during a film festival and human rights forum in Geneva, March 12, 2008.   (AP Photo/Keystone)
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UN fears backlash
BBC

Quest for justice may threaten peace
New York Times

7 Darfur peacekeepers killed in ambush
Associated Press

 
United Nations • Darfur • Sudan • peacekeeping force • Omar al Bashir • emergency aid • International Criminal Court

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