Africa

Sudanese Attorney General Launches Darfur War Crimes Investigation - Reports

CAIRO (Sputnik) - Sudanese Attorney General Taj al-Sir al-Hibr announced the launching of an investigation into possible war crimes by ousted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in Darfur which led to the death of up to 300,000 people, al-Araby al-Jadeed newspaper reported Sunday.
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The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued two arrest warrants on Al-Bashir in connection with the conflict in Darfur, charging him with genocide and crimes against humanity all the way back in 2009 and 2010.

According to the outlet, al-Hibr launched probes into 51 people apart from al-Bashir, most notable among them are former Defence Minister Abdel Rahim Mohammed Hussein and Janjaweed commander Ali Kushayb who are also wanted by the ICC.

Al-Hibr indicated that the investigation and possible charges will take place within the Sudanese legal framework outside of the auspices of the ICC, saying that immediate investigations are necessary into crimes that "shook the world’s conscience," speaking at a news conference in Khartoum attended by Al-Araby al-Jadeed.

The announcement comes one week after al-Bashir was separately sentenced to two years in prison on December 14 for corruption relating to foreign currency and expensive gifts found in his keep following his overthrow.

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The ongoing conflict in the east of the country began in 2003 between government forces and rebels of a multitude of ethnicities and has resulted in the displacement of up to 3,000,000 people by United Nations estimates.

Bashir governed Sudan for decades before he was overthrown by a military coup in April, which brought the Transitional Military Council (TMC) to power after months of anti-government protests. However, the demonstrations continued, with opposition protesters calling on the TMC to transfer power to a civilian-led government.

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