On March 4th, 2009, a warrant was issued for the arrest of the Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
While the ICC said there was insufficient evidence to charge Al-Bashir with genocide, there were enough grounds to charge him with war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Marking the first time a sitting Head of State would be indicted by the ICC, Al-Bashir was accused of causing (indirectly or otherwise) the killing, of some 200,000 people, displacing 2.5 million others (Sudan claim the numbers is only 10,000), and masterminding campaigns of rape, murder and other crimes against civilians in Darfur since 2003.
When the story broke, I jumped immediately to write about it. On second thoughts I wondered how Al-Bashir would react to the arrest warrant; it wasn’t long that I got my answer.
Drum-roll please as the President reacts!
The day after the arrest was issued, Al-Bashir’s ordered 13 aids groups, including Oxfam, CARE and Save the Children, to leave Sudan , this no doubt made him look even more guilty. Worse still images of him cheering amidst crowds of protesters in Khartoum were all over the news. What were they protesting? The arrest warrant!
Omar Al-Bashir Supporters: Picture Courtesy of Pan-African News Wire
At first glance I thought maybe the people loved their president and don’t believe him to be guilty of the charges against him. Then looking at these pictures and videos more closely, I noticed that the majority of these protesters appeared to be Northern Sudanese people.
What does that mean? Well, let’s put it like this; the people who Bashir is accused of killing are of the Darfur region. It is this group, and those of southern Sudan, that Al-Bashir is accused of ‘exterminating’. In contrast to the “developing” Khartoum, the popular scene in Darfur is of destitution and refugee camps occupied by people who left their homes in fear of Al-Bashir’s army. Get the picture?
So yes Al-Bashir has supporters, but are they the ones marginalized by the Northern Sudanese ruler? Are they the ones living in camps, getting raped and murdered? NO!
If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime!
It is easy to support a murdering President when you are from Khartoum, surrounded by growing development and the ruling elites of Sudan. It is even easier perhaps if you believe the people of Darfur and south Sudan are your subordinates. I doubt Al-Bashir will have many friends in those places!
I echo the feelings that the USA and other Western countries should stop interfering in African countries, but when you see cases like that of Sudan, yes you can say the West played it’s own part in the overall break down in Sudan, but I 100% support the charges and arrest warrant issued against Al-Bashir. Afterall, 'If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime'.
RE: IF YOU CANT DO THE TIME, DONT DO THE CRIME
The never ending challenges faced by developing and third world countries are indeed sad, but when one closely and objectively X-rays these situations we see the influence of an outer force. We have to admit the fact that everything about this world and life exist either in the dominant or the dominated state...the very genes that make up our body as a sytem exist either in a dominant or in a recessive state, and so is all, everything and every situation.
Cruel, exploitative and despotic leadership in places like and especially Africa is as a result of an accumulation of alot of factors which to mention but a few include the outside influence (whose interest in most cases these leaders are protecting), the disunity within the population( where the divide and conquer concept is always applied)and godfathrism.
If the people atleast in the case of el-bashir and sudan are united will have commited those crimes and still go to the mist of a certain good to jubilate? no, but because the people are not united. Sadly if one looks closely you start wondering why will any external force want to influence the war in such regions when they dont have too much natural resources to be tapped?. But the bitter truth is who will buy the arms produced by the manufacturers?....Lets admit it people, the problems, there causative agents as well as solutions are complex. the only single way out is when we stop, look inwards and reflect on who we are, what we want and unite in our purpose as humans;
this is just the begining
this is just the begining keep it up
If you can't do the time...
Excellent article, Yemisi!