The International Criminal Court in The Hague today ordered the arrest of Sudan’s president Omar al-Bashir, the first time they’ve brought such charges against an acting head of state, for his active backing of violence against civilians in the Darfur region.
Sudan President Omar al-Bashir
This is huge step forward for international justice, and may make future tyrants think twice about engaging in war crimes. But will it bring peace to Sudan anytime soon? If anything, al-Bashir now has less incentive to deal with the United Nations and others trying to broker peace in Darfur. Will the UN ultimately need to pressure the ICC to drop the indictment against al-Bashir in order to get him to agree to a forceful peacekeeping presence in Darfur? It’s still too early to tell.
But the word is out to other African dictators and warlords - beware!
