Canada welcomes first ever indictment of a sitting leader
Canada greeted positively Wednesday the International Criminal Court's decision to issue an arrest warrant against President Omar al-Bashir on charges that he is complicit in war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Darfur region.
Canada "strongly supports" the ICC's initiative to make the Sudanese government accountable for "the most serious international crimes," Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said in a statement.
al-Bashir, 65, will not face charges of genocide due to lack of evidence. But those charges could be added to the warrant at a later stage if more evidence emerged, the ICC said.
"He is suspected of being criminally responsible ... for intentionally directing attacks against an important part of the civilian population of Darfur," ICC spokeswoman Laurence Blairon told journalists in The Hague.
The ICC's first-ever indictment of a sitting head of state sent thousands of angry pro-government demonstrators onto the streets in the capital, Khartoum, and sparked warnings of a possible increase in violence as the government sought to rally opposition to the decision.
al-Bashir and his top officials made decisions since 2003 that resulted in government forces and militias "exterminating, raping and forcibly transferring a large numbers of civilians," she said.
"Canada strongly condemns acts that cause tremendous human suffering. We will continue to take strong action and call for ongoing international scrutiny of Sudan's commitments to human rights.
"Canada recognizes that the ICC is an independent judicial organization and we continue to respect its decisions and judgments."
Cannon called on Sudan to co-operate with the ICC and called on all parties in the conflict to show restraint in both their rhetoric and their actions, and to "resist all provocation."
But many inside and outside the country have warned of a dramatic escalation in violence, and a possible return to civil war, as the government attempts to rally the population against the ICC.
The Canadian government is bracing for possible violence against Canadians in Sudan and has warned Canadians to stay away from the country.
"Demonstrations and civil disturbances may occur throughout Sudan including in Khartoum" as a result of the ICC decision, the Canadian government has warned on its website.
"Heightened care and vigilance should be taken while this situation prevails. Canadians should restrict their movements, avoid all large crowds and demonstrations, monitor the situation on a regular basis, and comply with direction provided by local authorities."
The Sudanese military warned Wednesday it would "firmly deal" with those who co-operate with the ICC.
"The armed forces will firmly deal with whoever co-operates with the so-called International Criminal Court, and uses it as a platform for political blackmail and for destabilizing the security and stability of the country," spokesman Osman al-Aghbash said, speaking on state-owned Radio Omdurman, according to Agence France-Presse.
Last month, Sudan's intelligence chief Salah Gosh also threatened ICC supporters.
"We will sever the limbs of those who attempt to stick their hands in to execute the (ICC) plans," he said.
Rebels have vowed to respond with force to any military reaction by Khartoum.
The Islamic government has tried to rally the public to its side, accusing the ICC of being part of a U.S.-backed effort to destabilize an oil-rich country that is opposed to western interests in Africa, the Middle East and Afghanistan.
Andrew Natsios, the former American envoy to Sudan, has warned that the ICC's decision could, rather than pressure al-Bashir to change his ways or leave office, spark a harsh response by the regime and result in civil war.
"We could end up with another Rwanda or Somalia or Democratic Republic of Congo in which hundreds of thousands of people could be killed," Natsios told the Los Angeles Times in a report from Khartoum published Sunday.
"We could end up with something much worse."
Al-Bashir is accused of funding the brutal work of private militias attempting to crush rebellions in the Darfur region by ethnic minority rebel groups. The United Nations has estimated that 300,000 people have died, countless raped, and 2.7 million displaced since 2003, with most of the refugees living in UN-run camps in neighbouring Chad.
Source: Canada.com
No comments:
Post a Comment