/ 5 March 2009

UN chief urges Sudan to keep NGOs, protect civilians

United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday urged Sudan not to expel foreign aid agencies and to guarantee the safety of civilians after an arrest warrant was issued for President Omar al-Bashir, a UN spokesperson said.

“The International Criminal Court [ICC] has today [Wednesday] issued a warrant for the arrest of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, President of the Republic of Sudan, for his alleged responsibility for crimes committed in Darfur,” Ban’s spokesperson, Michele Montas, said in a statement.

Ban “calls on the government of Sudan to continue to cooperate fully with all UN entities and their implementing partners, while fulfilling its obligation to ensure the safety and security of the civilian population, UN personnel and property, and that of its implementing partners”, she added, affirming that the UN intended to continue its activities in Sudan.

She said Ban was “concerned” to learn that as many as 10 humanitarian NGOs have had their registrations revoked and some of their assets seized.

“He notes that this represents a serious setback to lifesaving operations in Darfur, and urges the government of Sudan to act urgently to restore these NGOs to their full operational status.”

The head of one aid group said 10 NGOs were expelled, and that they were “told to leave the country within 24 hours”.

The foreign agencies provide essential aid to the estimated 2,7-million people made homeless by the war in Darfur.

The UN says up to 300 000 people have died since conflict broke out in Darfur in 2003, when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated regime for a greater share of resources and power.

A ceasefire has been agreed between the government and opposition groups but deadly clashes go on in the western region.

Ban called on all parties involved “to work in good faith toward a political solution to end the conflict”, Ban’s spokesperson said.

Al-Bashir (65) will face five counts of crimes against humanity and two counts of war crimes.

Though there was no immediate response from al-Bashir, several government officials, including ministers, said Khartoum would not cooperate with the court.

“Sudan absolutely rejects the ICC’s decision because Sudan is not a member of the court and it has no jurisdiction over Sudan,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Ahmed Karti.

The warrant “will have no effect on President al-Bashir, who will continue to carry out his duties normally,” Karti told reporters in Cairo.

Al-Bashir himself had said on Tuesday that any warrant would “not be worth the ink” with which it was written.

On Wednesday the High Commissioner for Human Rights urged respect for judiciary independence.

The ICC “is an independent judicial institution and the issuing of an arrest warrant should therefore be treated strictly as a judicial matter”, Navi Pillay said in a statement.

The ICC has no powers of enforcing its own warrants, but suspects can be arrested on the territory of states that have signed up to the court’s founding Rome Statute.

Sudan has defied UN Security Council Resolution 1593, passed in March 2005, which calls for Khartoum to cooperate with the ICC.

But while it states that the Sudan government and parties to the conflict “shall cooperate fully with and provide any necessary assistance to the court”, the resolution also acknowledged that “states not party to the Rome Statute have no obligation under the statute”.

Pressed by reporters about the resolution, UN spokesperson Montas refused to clarify whether Ban hoped that Khartoum hand over al-Bashir to the ICC.

And when asked at a briefing whether Ban would continue to have personal contact by telephone with al-Bashir, Montas said: “I cannot answer that question at this point.” — AFP