Many Sudanese remain skeptical of leader's arrest
Crime: President of African nation faces charges
Some doubt peace will follow indictment.
Many Sudanese remain skeptical of leader's arrest
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By The Associated Press
Published: July 20, 2008
KHARTOUM, Sudan — For years, Mohammed Ali has been hearing relatives and friends tell how government-backed militiamen torched villages in his native Darfur, raped women and shot fleeing civilians.
The painful past and present have become a way of life for Ali and his tribe, so much so that the news that the president of Sudan has been indicted on genocide charges seems to leave him cold.
"I just want to see peace in Darfur,” Ali said.
The 55-year-old laborer is not unique in his indifference to the International Criminal Court prosecutor's decision Monday to seek the arrest of President Omar al-Bashir on genocide charges. There was no spontaneous outpouring of support for the country's ruler of 19 years. The only protests and rallies so far have been those organized by his ruling party and other loyalist groups.
Ali's Fur tribe is one of three named in the indictment as being targets of the violence. But what is happening in the western territory of Sudan is just one chapter in this country.
Despair runs deep. Poverty, famine, drought and refugee crises are a fixture of life, and many fail to see how an international indictment against their longtime president will change things.
The 10 charges filed by Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo accused al-Bashir of masterminding a Darfur campaign in 2003. Netherlands-based Moreno-Ocampo said survivors are preyed upon by janjaweed and army troops.
On Saturday, the chairman of an emergency Arab League meeting said the decision to charge al-Bashir set a dangerous precedent.
"The indictment is a dangerous precedent in dealing with heads of state. It will have dangerous repercussions, not only on Sudan but on the whole region,” said Djibouti Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssef, who is leading the meeting convened by the 22-member body to discuss the charges.
Only three Arab league states recognize the court — Jordan, Djibouti and Comoros.
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