UN to withdraw non-critical staff from Darfur

On Monday, Sudanese President Bashir was formally charged at the ICC at
the Hague with genocide and crimes against humanity. Reprisals on the UN
are looming after the indictment of Sudanese President Bashir. Attacks
have occurred, including one last week by Sudanese militias on a team of UN
blue helmets. Seven peacekeepers were dead.

It is expected that there will be violent reactions to the indictment of
Bashir, as he has a lot of support among his country’s majority Arab
population. The national Congress Party warned of more violence and
bloodshed. The anger is being directed at the UN. Secretary General Ban
Ki-Moon has stated that the ICC made their decision independently and that
the UN must respect the independence of the judicial process. Critical UN
personnel in humanitarian and peacekeeping roles will stay.

China in a deep dilemma as Sudan’s Bashir faces charges

Beijing’s interests in Sudan are putting China in a dilemma. China has key energy and political stakes in Sudan. They also have an interest in helping Darfur in its peace efforts. The sudden announcement by the ICC prosecutor has interrupted China in its efforts. As of Tuesday, China has not responded to ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo’s announcement of charges. There are consequences. He Wenping, an African expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, says, “China’s peacekeepers will be threatened, this will impede China’s space to mediate over Darfur and encourage dialogue between Sudan and the West.” A few experts have speculated on how China may respond. I agree with Shi Yinhong, an international security expert at Renmin University in Beijing that Beijing will call Ocampo’s decision to target Bashir unwise, weigh reactions of other major players and will not lead any opposition.

Protest against ICC forces UN staff to stay at home

UN has urged hundreds of staff to stay at home on Tuesday as more protestors demonstrate. Pro-government and those who typically oppose Bashir are backing him against The Hague-based ICC. There have been no senior officials in attendance.

However, Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha has called the ICC move “irresponsible, illegal and unprofessional.” He believes it is a good way to prevent Sudan from being a normal member of the international community.

The AU’s reaction is that it is a display of African officials being targeted and therefore unacceptable.

Wade wants Darfur probe halted

International leaders have begun to voice their concerns about the recent charges pressed against Bashir. Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade has asked that the ICC freeze its Darfur investigation for a year in response to the response within Sudan. He has stated that if the prosecution continues, the situation will worsen and plunge into chaos. Judges will decide in the next few months about the arrest warrant for Bashir.

From my perspective:

The move by the ICC has the potential of strengthening the Islamic movement and increasing violence in the region. This is counterproductive to efforts in the regions to maintain peace and security. It has the potential of jeopardizing UN and international efforts in Sudan and destabilizing relations. The international community has been reaching out to Darfur and has been trying to foster discussions between the warring rebel groups and the government. The ICC has not been successful in enforcing international law in Sudan in the past. It seems that once again the people who will be most affected by this move were not considered and that the conflict has been trivialized and oversimplified. The importance of reaching a peaceful solution rather than impose the priority of legal action has been sidestepped. This action can polarize the region. The protests are good indicators of the division that this action will take rather than increasing efforts toward bridging the divides between conflicting parties.