Sudan govt agrees ex-president Bashir must face ICC

Sudan’s transitional government has agreed to turn over former president Omar al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court.

News of the decision came Tuesday after meetings in South Sudan’s capital between the Sudanese government and rebel groups from Sudan’s Darfur region.

Speaking to VOA’s English to Africa service, Ahmed Tugod, a representative of the rebel Justice and Equality Movement, said the sides agreed all four Sudanese nationals indicted by the ICC will be turned over to the Hague-based court for trial, including Bashir.

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Tugod said the agreement for handing them over will not go into effect until there is a full peace agreement with the warring parties in Sudan. Tugod says he expects that to happen within the next few weeks.

The Sudan News Agency (SNA) reports the government and Darfur rebel groups have agreed the ICC arrest warrants are key to achieving justice in Darfur, where rebels have fought the Sudanese government since 2003. The SNA report did not mention Bashir by name.

Bashir is wanted by the ICC on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. ICC prosecutors say Bashir tried to destroy civilian populations in Darfur through a campaign of murder, rape, pillaging and other crimes.

Bashir was ousted by Sudan’s military in April 2019 after 30 years of rule.