A step towards peace?
By Mohanad Hashim, BBC Sudan analyst The Sudanese delegation negotiating with rebels in Darfur has made a key concession to victims of the Darfur conflict by agreeing that all those wanted by the ICC should be handed over to the court to stand trial. The surrender of former President Bashir is, in fact, something that Sudan's top military general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan alluded to at a meeting in December with victims of the conflict. But there is no guarantee that it will happen - the generals may renege on the deal. If it does happen, it is unlikely to be anytime soon, as talks to end the conflict still have a long way to go and the transfer of the wanted men - from both sides of the conflict - would have to be part of a broader peace deal. Bashir, who refused to recognise the authority of the court when he was charged for crimes in the region in 2009, was ousted as president in April last year. On Tuesday, one of his lawyers told Reuters news agency that Bashir would continue to refuse to deal with the ICC, describing it as a "political court". ICC prosecutors in The Hague requested that the former leader stand trial over the Darfur killings and issued an arrest warrant for him on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. BBC Africa Eye tells the story of the 3 June massacre of protesters on the streets of Khartoum The UN says that in addition to those killed in fighting between local armed groups, and Bashir's forces and government-backed militia - such as the infamous Janjaweed - around 2.5 million people were displaced in the war. Warrants for Bashir's arrest were issued in 2009 and 2010 by the ICC.What is the ICC?
The court investigates and brings to justice people suspected of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, intervening when national authorities cannot or will not prosecute. The ICC was established by a UN treaty in 2002, and has been ratified by 123 countries, including the UK. However, several countries - including China, India, Russia and the US - have refused to join, while some African countries say the court is unfairly focused on Africans. The international court has been criticised in the past for securing too few convictions, mishandling cases and over-reaching its jurisdiction. Bashir, 76, came to power in a military coup in 1989 and ruled Sudan with an iron fist. In December, he was sentenced to two years in a social reform facility for corruption. Under Sudanese law, people over the age of 70 cannot serve jail terms. Prosecutors in Sudan have also charged him with the killing of protesters during the demonstrations that led to him being ousted. Bashir denies all allegations against him. The International Criminal Court has come in for strong criticismDISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
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