ICC mulls extradition of Sudan’s Bashir

A delegation from the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrived yesterday in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum to discuss a hand over of the ousted president Omar Al-Bashir, according to Al-Arabiya.

Early last week, the head of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan, agreed to cooperate with the ICC and to handover Bashir and four of his former aides. However, on Friday, the ICC spokesman, Fadi Al-Abdullah, said that the court did not receive “official confirmation from Sudan regarding Al-Bashir’s extradition.”

The Hague-based ICC has issued two arrest warrants for Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Read: Merkel’s defence of Israel’s war crimes undermines the ICC and the rule of law

The 76-year-old Bashir, who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1989, is currently in Khartoum’s Kober prison, where he had locked up his opponents while in office. After taking office in what was then Africa’s largest country, he fought a protracted civil war with southern rebels which ended with the secession of South Sudan in 2011, and the loss of more than 70 percent of Sudan’s oil.

Sudan has suffered prolonged periods of isolation since 1993 when the United States added Bashir’s government to its list of terrorism sponsors for harbouring Islamist militants. Washington followed up with sanctions four years later.

Since last April, the African country has been embroiled in a political crisis, during which Bashir was ousted and sporadic clashes took place as various groups flex their muscles to gain power in the volatile political environment.

A transitional government has taken over with the intention to stay in power for three years until fresh elections are held.