The International Criminal Court demands Sudan to hand over Omar al-Bashir

Al-Bashir trail in Khartoum Archive photo

The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, has demanded that Sudanese authorities disclose the whereabouts of former President Omar al-Bashir and his aides Ahmed Haroun and Abdel Rahim Hussein, arrest them, and hand them over to the court.I

n a briefing to the UN Security Council, members expressed support for the court’s request, noting that impunity has led to continued violations and crimes currently being committed in Sudan.

Previously, a member of the former president’s legal team stated that al-Bashir, 80, needs regular health check-ups and may require treatment abroad for some health issues.Al-Bashir is the first Sudanese president to be tried in person on various charges, primarily for undermining the constitutional order by overthrowing the constitutional authority in 1989.Since 2009, the ICC has been demanding al-Bashir’s extradition.

His rule ended with massive protests in April 2019.Al-Bashir and his aides were in custody when the current war broke out in mid-April 2023.

Sudanese authorities have not disclosed their location since, but Khan said in his briefing: “We know very well where the wanted Ahmed Haroun is.”Previously, Sudanese Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan stated that al-Bashir is “in a safe place,” while the ICC and human rights organizations accuse Sudanese authorities of “covering up for the three wanted individuals.”When the war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces erupted in April 2023, al-Bashir was detained at a military base in Omdurman, part of the capital Khartoum, which is under army control. While Omdurman has been affected by the war, it has not reached Merowe, about 340 kilometers to the north.

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