Sudan condemns ICC warrant against Bashir

The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor called on the Security Council, Tuesday, to find ways to ensure that Sudan activates the arrest warrants issued against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and other Sudanese officials. Khartoum condemned the ICC action  against the president who, it said was "elected by the people." Luis Moreno-Ocampo said in his last speech at the Security Council before his retirement this summer: "the residences of the four fugitives in Darfur are known and they should be arrested." Ocampo, according to Sudanese channel El-Shorouk (Sunrise), stated that Ali Kushayb, one of the leaders of the Janjaweed lives  in Darfur and Ahmed Haroun resides at his private residence in South Kordofan, Abdul Rahim Mohammed Hussein sits in his office at the Ministry of Defence in Khartoum and Bashir can be found in the presidential palace in Khartoum. He added that the failure to arrest these persons is "a direct challenge to the authority of the Council." It is up to the Council to determine the procedures to ensure compliance of the Government of Sudan. He said:"The truth is that the members of the Council have to reconcile between their national interests and their responsibilities towards peace and security.” Sudan's permanent representative at the United Nations. Dafallah Al-Haj Ali said before the Council that Darfur’s crisis is contained within the region itself, therefore it does not threaten international peace and security, stressing that the whole issue is based on “political motivations" of specific members countries in the Security Council. He added that many of the prominent politicians, international agencies and non-governmental organisations, including Doctors without Borders, have denied incidences of ethnic cleansing in Darfur. He pointed out that Darfur is currently enjoying calm after the government agreed with various tribes to bring peace to the region. He condemned calls made ??by Moreno-Ocampo to the Security Council to tak legal steps to activate the arrest warrant against Sudan's president who was "elected by the people" he said. The International Criminal Court accused Bashir in 2005 together with  three other officials for crimes against humanity and genocide in the Darfur region of western Sudan since 2003, the beginning of security disturbances in the region.