Sudan’s murderous leader must answer for his deeds

If President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan is allow to ignore a warrant for his arrest issued by the International Criminal Court, then the world community should not be surprised if other immoral leaders are emboldened to be even more dastardly in their behavior. The weak and the powerless will continue to suffer while we pay lip service to their fate.

President al-Bashir, whose ethnic cleansing policies have resulted in more than 300,000 Sudanese being killed and 2.5 million becoming refugees, must be brought to justice — in shackles, if necessary. As the New York Times reported last week, it is the first time the international court has sought the detention of a sitting head of state. And it will be the last time if al-Bashir holds on to the reins of power despite the arrest warrant.

As for the argument that the Sudanese president’s arrest could undermine current peace negotiations to end the conflict in Darfur province, the government-sanctioned killing zone, let us not forget that it was the country’s leader who gave the military the green light to search and destroy.

Al-Bashir’s refusal to clamp down on Arab militia known as janjaweed, which has committed unspeakable atrocities against the ethnic Africans, and his ordering Sudan’s military to attack Darfur province make his involvement in any peace talks a joke. The president chose to go after the ethnic Africans mercilessly after they rose up against the government, claiming widespread discrimination.

The fact that he has remained in power despite what the United Nations has called the biggest humanitarian crisis in Africa reflects poorly on the world organization. Rather than come down hard on him and send in U.N. peacekeeping forces as soon as the killings began — the problem first reared its ugly head a decade ago — the U.N. dragged its feet. Even after 2.5 million residents of Darfur were made homeless and forced to live in camps under inhumane conditions, the U.N. chose to debate, rather than act.

Blind eye

For its part, the African Union initially turned a blind eye to what was happening in Sudan, and when it was forced to acknowledged the extent of al-Bashir’s criminality, African leaders offered ridiculous excuses. Part of the problem is that there are many other leaders in Africa who are as guilty of crimes against humanity as the president of Sudan.

But now a warrant has been issued and the arrest must come quickly. Fortunately, prosecutors who have been seeking the warrant since last year have the support of the United Nations Security Council.

According to the New York Times, the security council had been asked to use its power to suspend the proceedings, but a majority of the members argued that the case against al-Bashir should go forward because he has not done enough to stop the bloodshed.

The U.N. should find a way to facilitate the president’s arrest. It may be necessary for the organization to sponsor a caretaker government that would restore political and ethnic stability and work for the safe return of the residents of Darfur.

The need to change the government is evident. Reacting to the arrest warrant, the Sudanese ambassador to the United Nations, Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem, was quoted by the Times as saying the international court’s decision is “not deserving the ink used to print it.”

Such an attitude is the reason tyrants such as al-Bashir have been able to survive — despite their despicable behavior.