JEDDAH: The International Criminal Court’s decision to issue an arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar Bashir on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur sparked anger and disgust among the Sudanese community in the Kingdom.
Al-Taher Tayeb, a Sudanese who works as an engineer in a private company in Madinah, said if Bashir were a Jew or Christian then they would never have made such a decision.
“Sudan is a Muslim country that applies Islamic Shariah and has huge oil reserves. This is why they want to arrest him. The whole point is that they want to put their hands on Sudan’s resources,” he said. “What justice are they talking about when Zionist leaders who were responsible for genocide in Palestine are walking free and smiling in front of cameras?”
He said the Sudanese people would not sit idle as the country’s sovereignty is at stake.
Mustapha Ahmad, a teacher in a private school, said Bashir might not be popular in the minds of many Sudanese. “I know many Sudanese hate Bashir. But the question that I want to ask for those that still have the ability to think: Is the West going to bring justice for us? What is their sudden interest in Sudan that came after the discovery of oil? We have seen their justice in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have seen how the International Criminal Court looked the other way when Israel committed war crimes in Gaza,” Ahmad said.
“Bashir did injustice in Darfur and he should be punished for that,” said Fatima Muhammad, a Sudanese housewife. “We the Sudanese people would hold him accountable, but not the ICC. If the ICC wants to hold Bashir accountable, then it should also hold George Bush, Tony Blair, Ehud Barak and Tzipi Livni accountable for war crimes,” she said.
“It’s a political conspiracy to oust Bashir from power. They can’t fool us,” said Muhammad Omar. “I feel the ICC is degrading Sudanese national pride by its decision.”
Secretary-General of the Jeddah-based Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said the ICC move could seriously undermine the ongoing efforts to resolve the conflict in Darfur.
Addressing a press conference in Riyadh yesterday Sudanese Charge d’Affaires Ahmad Yousuf Muhammad said the Sudanese government was unperturbed by the ICC move. “Sudan will respond to the warrant through the media as it is not a member of the court,” the diplomat said. He added that Sudan would also call a meeting of the Group of 77 to demand an explanation from the court for issuing the warrant against the president of Sudan, which is the current head of the bloc.
