KHARTOUM (Somaliguardian) – Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok promised to cooperate with the International Criminal Court to ensure those accused of war crimes in Darfur appear before the tribunal, a list that includes ousted President Omar al-Bashir.
The announcement has come five months after the government reached a deal with rebel groups that all five Sudanese ICC suspects should appear before the tribunal but Prime Minister Hamdok had not previously publicly affirmed his position.
Omar al-Bashir, who has been in jail in the capital Khartoum since he was toppled after mass protests last year, is wanted by the ICC for his alleged role in war crimes, genocides and crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Sudanese military in Darfur during a conflict that left an estimated 300,000 dead.
“I reiterate that the government is fully prepared to cooperate with the ICC to facilitate access to those accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Hamdok said in a televised address to the nation.
Sudan’s transitional government, a three-year joint civilian-military arrangement led by Hamdok, says it is close to sign a peace deal with some rebel groups in Darfur region.
Prime Minister Hamdok also said his government is committed to ensuring that Sudan is removed from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism.
The US government added Sudan to the list in 1993 over allegations that Bashir’s government was supporting terrorist groups at the time.
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