Al-Bashir to be handed over to ICC as part of new Sudanese talks

Sudan’s Attorney General, Taj Al-Sir Ali Al-Habr, met with the delegation of the Darfur Bar Association (DBA) to discuss the extradition of ousted President Omar Al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and transitional justice.

The Sudanese SUNA News Agency reported on Wednesday that the meeting discussed a number of issues related to the DBA, including the extradition of the ousted President Omar Al-Bashir to the ICC, the draft amendment of the laws in force, the performance of the Office of the General Prosecutor for Darfur Crimes and transitional justice.

Saleh Mahmoud, Deputy Chairman of the DBA, said the two sides agreed that the timing was not right for releasing statements about handing over Al-Bashir to the ICC.

Saleh pointed out that the Attorney General promised to coordinate with the Minister of Justice to ensure speedy and effective procedures with regard to laws which are inconsistent with international standards.

He noted that the Attorney General also promised to take steps to improve the performance of the Office of the General Prosecutor for Darfur Crimes to safeguard the rule of law so that all citizens enjoy justice.

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In January 2012, Minister of Justice Mohamed Bishara Dousa ordered the establishment of a court responsible for all major and serious crimes committed in Darfur.

The ICC has already issued two arrest warrants against Al-Bashir in 2009 and 2010, on charges of “genocide and other atrocities,” as part of his campaign to crush a rebellion in Darfur.

On 11 April, the army’s leadership ousted Al-Bashir from the presidency, after 30 years in power, under the weight of popular protests that began in late 2018 to condemn the country’s deteriorating economic conditions.

Since 2003, Darfur has been the scene of a conflict between the army and three armed movements that have left 300.000 dead and 2.5 million displaced, according to the UN statistics.

Sudan has entered, since 21 August, a transitional period to last 39 months and end with elections, during which power is shared by the Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the forces of the Declaration of Freedom and Change, leader of the popular movement.