African envoys sought support on Wednesday from Russia and China for ways to let Sudan’s president dodge a global court’s Darfur war crimes charges.
“The search for justice should not jeopardize the other priorities in Sudan,” South African Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo said.
The UN Security Council’s private discussions took place against a backdrop of fresh violence.
Gunmen in the troubled Sudanese region of Darfur shot and killed another UN-African Union (AU) peacekeeper on Wednesday, just as the council voted to condemn the killing of seven Darfur peacekeepers a week ago as a possible war crime.
Sudan, South Africa and China expressed concern that indicting Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir could further damage the peace process, diplomats said.
Some Western diplomats and UN officials also say they fear an arrest warrant against al-Bashir could unleash reprisals against the peacekeeping mission in Darfur, known as UNAMID.
But to many, that peace process already is withering, and the mission has virtually no peace to keep.
“The peace process has been stalled for the last few months,” British Ambassador John Sawers said. “There’s an urgent need for renewed effort on the peace process side. And UNAMID can only ever deliver on its mission properly once there is a peace to keep.”
International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo filed 10 charges on Monday against al-Bashir related to a campaign of extermination the UN says has claimed 300,000 lives and driven 2.5 million people from their homes.
Moreno-Ocampo, based at The Hague, Netherlands, said survivors are preyed upon by government-backed janjaweed Arab militia and regular troops. It could take judges months to rule on whether to issue an arrest warrant.
The Sudanese ambassador said some African diplomats were discussing with China and Russia ways of persuading the 15-nation Security Council to block Moreno-Ocampo’s work for a year. Neither China’s nor Russia’s diplomats commented publicly on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, more than 1,000 protesters gathered outside the republican palace in Khartoum yesterday, shouting death to the world court prosecutor for seeking al-Bashir’s arrest.
Shouting “God is Great” and “Go Forward Bashir” students and Arab tribesmen from western Sudan’s war-torn region of Darfur angrily condemned allegations that the head of state was guilty of genocide and war crimes.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS