The International criminal court (ICC) up until recently was labelled a white elephant costing millions of US Dollars annually and failing to yielding any tangible results. The ICC gained respectability in 1999; when Slobodan Milosevic was indicted and convicting for atrocities against Serbian forces in Kosovo. In 2003 a vocal and boisterous court; in its ambitious move to date, captured Charles Taylor charging him with crimes against people of Sierra Leone. Taylor’s rebel group captured and drugged children; who in turn chopped of the arm and limbs of innocent citizens during a 10 year brutal war.
The ICC with momentum has gone one step further since its formation. The Charging of Omar Al- Bashir a sitting president of Sudan; with crimes against humanity and violation against the people of Darfur. Claims of ethnic cleansing and State sponsored militia, resulted in the death, rape and murder of thousands of people.
The Arab League and the African Union had earlier requested that Omar Al- Bashir arrest warrant be suspended. Both institutions were fearful of knee-jerk reactions and reprisals against Aid agencies and the people of Darfur.
Omar Al- Bashir will receive ample support from Russia and China on this issue. In a symbolic gesture they will try to table an amendment to the charges or a delay to the proceedings at the United Nations Security Council. Bashir is unlikely to attract similar sentiment from the Western Nations whom would more than likely veto any such proposals.
Sudan like the United States of America (USA) is not a member of the ICC. A defiant Bashir refuses to recognise the court, claims that the ICC is in beach of International Law and has no jurisdiction in Sudan. Bashir is convinced that the ICC charges are politically motivated. The Sudanese government sights variation in the application and interpretation of the ICC own laws, has swiftly cancelled visa and deported Aid agencies namely Oxfam in the United Kingdom, Care in the USA and Doctors without borders from Netherlands.
Omar Al- Bashir is now a wanted man and he will have difficulties travelling outside of the African continent. If and when he does, he is likely to be arrested and taken to the Hague for trial. Within the African continent African leaders will be reluctant to interfere with Omar Al- Bashir; fearful that some of them may be next in focus of the ICC.
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What are we to expect from these charges? Some say the Killings will continue at an even higher rate. Others believe that it is a step towards accountability and justice for the rights of all Africans living in countries whose leaders have no regards for the welfare of their people. What do you say
Interesting Post Ayo. My only question for now is..what is to be done about the Dafour situation, still it goes unchecked. Africans are dying every day and the world seems powerless to help
this is a very interesting article...sounds like the prez is getting what he deserves- the people are still suffering becz of his selfishness.
Honestly, I strongly believe that some Africa Leaders should be held accountable for their actions against humanity.
What Africa need for its redemption is servant leadership instead of self-serving governance that the continent is famed for. Our leaders should add servant hood attitudes to their attributes and demonstrate that their primary motivation for seeking to lead the people is rooted in a desire to serve and help out.
Nevertheless we are all aware that Westerners do not care about Africans. They only care about African gold and diamonds. They would do everything to get these natural resources, even if it means setting up Africans against each other. As Africans wage war against each other, the Westerners are busy looting the natural resources. Either way, the Westerners benefit - they steal our gold and diamond and we buy their arms to kill each other. Africa needs to wake up!
The world watches while the Sudanese president is heading for a stormy patch. He's refusing an arrest warrant issued by the Hague War Crimes Court. Philosophers have often argued that war is made by men. This being so, then men should face the consequences. Perhaps if more men put away their pride for the sake of peace then we wouldn't have war in the first place. The Sudanese President is one of the world’s most brutal oppressors. His judgement day will come whether he likes it or not. Omar al-Bashir, is alleged to have caused 35,000 violent deaths in Darfur.
Bashir's long presidency reflects a god-like status he has imbued himself with. But now for the first time he is answerable to all the terrible crimes he's alleged to have permitted, including charges of authorising systematic rape, and causing the violent deaths of 35,000 minority groups in his country.
The exiling of aid workers by Bashir of Sudan is grimly reminiscent of Mugabe's regime of Zimbabwe. One only hopes the dire consequences aren't repeated another time.
And moreover, kicking the foreign aid-workers out is the beginning of fear for him against what the BBC news term as ‘he has no fear’ but nevertheless, this is just the beginning of another show-down event. I believe the ‘International Court of Justice’ would put their veto-power into practice now as a lay-down rule that war will never resolve our problems in this world against settling our dispute democratically.
Even though its is justifiable for the Sudanese President Bashir to be convicted for his numerous crime against Humanity. One can also argue that there should be a case for trying Bush for the 'supreme crime against humanity, an illegal war of aggression against a sovereign nation by The International criminal court (ICC).
It is a crying shame ... Read morethat President Bush will never be put on trail for his guilty of the supreme crime against humanity. This clearly shows the extent to which American exceptionalism is embedded in the World/National psyche and is awesome to behold.
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