'Fugitive' Sudan Prez Defies World Court

(NEWSER) - The International Criminal Court today issued a warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, charging him with murder, extermination, and rape, among other war crimes and crimes against humanity, the New York Times reports. Prosecutors say orders to kill or displace tribal people in Sudan’s Darfur region, which resulted in 5 years of violence and countless deaths, came from Bashir. More»

Aid groups ejected from Darfur as Bashir denounces 'colonialists'

(NEWSER) - A day after the International Criminal Court ordered his arrest for atrocities in Darfur, Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir vowed to defy the court and called its decision a colonial conspiracy. The New York Times reports that Sudan's government also ordered 10 international humanitarian organizations, including Doctors Without Borders, to leave the country or curb their work. "It happened right after the announcement," said one aid official. "The connection was clear." More»

Court could arrest al-Bashir over Darfur genocide

(NEWSER) - Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was officially accused of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity today in International Criminal Court, the BBC reports. The court must now decide whether to issue a warrant for Bashir’s arrest. If it does, Sudan’s government says it will disrupt the peace process in Darfur, and cause mayhem throughout the country. More»

Jolie writes for Time magazine

(NEWSER) - Angelina Jolie argues in a Time essay that it's put-up-or-shut-up time for the UN on Darfur. The Security Council will receive a report today on the nation's genocide under the watch of Omar al Bashir, and its response will determine whether the idea of an "international standard of justice" is real or just talk. "The evidence the prosecutor has presented is clear and compelling," she writes. "Millions of people have been displaced; hundreds of thousands have been killed." More»

Says media claims are part of propaganda campaign

(NEWSER) - Sudan’s president says his military hasn’t attacked civilians in Darfur and challenges “anybody” to show evidence to the contrary. “What has been reported to have happened in Darfur did not actually happen at all,” Omar al Bashir told the BBC in his first interview since being charged with war crimes. “What happened in Darfur was an insurgency. The state has the responsibility to fight the rebels.” More»