Kenya issues warrant for Sudan’s Bashir
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir speaks to the press on Oct. 30, 2011, in Khartoum. Bashir is the only sitting president wanted by the ICC for war crimes.
A Kenyan judge issued an arrest warrant for Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir on Monday for alleged war crimes in Darfur.
The decision comes after the Kenyan government defied the International Criminal Court in August when it failed to arrest Bashir during his visit to Kenya, the BBC reported. He had travelled to Nairobi to mark the adoption of Kenya’s new constitution.
The court’s ruling means the Sudanese president’s arrest should be executed “should he ever set foot in Kenya,” Judge Nicolas Ombija said, according to the Telegraph.
Kenya has signed on to the Rome Statute, which established the ICC in 2002. However, the country, like many other African countries, has refused to enforce the ICC warrant.
More from GlobalPost: Opinion: Time to end the atrocities in Darfur
The International Commission of Jurists in Kenya acted on the case after it was brought to the court by a non-governmental organization, according to RTT News. The court’s executive director had been a strong critic of the Kenyan government when it had failed to honor the ICC’s arrest warrant issued in 2009 for Bashir.
Bashir is the only sitting head of state wanted by the ICC for war crimes. He is accused of ordering a brutal campaign of violence in Darfur during the seven-year long conflict in the western region of the country.
The story you just read is available for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll get us one step closer to our goal of raising $25,000 by June 14. We need your help now more than ever!