Defiant Sudan expels aid agencies

Article from: Agence France-Presse

From correspondents in Khartoum

March 05, 2009 07:06am

A DEFIANT Sudan ordered the expulsion of a string of foreign aid agencies today after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for the arrest of President Omar al-Beshir.

Security was beefed up around foreign embassies in the capital Khartoum amid fears of reprisals as thousands of Beshir supporters took to the streets in protest at the court's decision.

Diplomats urged expatriates to avoid public places and stock up on essential supplies as Sudanese media promised further protests in support of the president, who stands accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the six-year-old conflict in the western region of Darfur.

"Ten NGOs will be expelled," the head of an aid group working in Darfur said.

"They told us to leave the country within 24 hours," he said.

"Up to 10 NGO's will be expelled," a UN source said.

Another aid worker said the Sudanese government had revoked the groups' licences to work in the country.

The warrant issued by the ICC for war crimes and crimes against humanity including extermination, rape and pillaging was the first by the court against a sitting head of state but the Sudanese government remained defiant.

"Sudan absolutely rejects the ICC's decision because Sudan is not a member of the court and it has no jurisdiction over Sudan," said deputy foreign minister Ali Ahmed Karti.

The warrant "will have no effect on President Beshir, who will continue to carry out his duties normally," Karti told reporters in Cairo.

In Khartoum, banner-waving crowds numbering in their thousands massed on the banks of the Nile, chanting "We love you President Beshir," and "We will protect President Beshir with every drop of our blood".

Demonstrators trampled on portraits of ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo who has become Khartoum's sworn enemy since recommending the warrant last July, and one giant poster portrayed him as a pig.

Some demonstrators called for "jihad" or holy war against Washington, which has long had strained relations with Khartoum.

"The Sudanese must combat the Westerners and the Americans. We will be victorious," they shouted.

Ahead of the ICC announcement, the Sudanese army broadcast a stark warning on state radio against anyone trying to exploit the court's decision.

"The armed forces will firmly deal with whoever cooperates with the so-called International Criminal Court, and uses it as a platform for political blackmail and for destabilising the security and stability of the country," spokesman Osman al-Aghbash said.

Salva Kiir, Sudan's First Vice President and president of the autonomous regional government in south Sudan, said on the eve of the decision that he was "committed to justice - without compromising peace and stability".

Mr Kiir, who flew to Khartoum for talks with Mr Beshir after the ICC's announcement, said north and south would work together "to politically and diplomatically handle the decision of the court".

Embassies asked their citizens to stay inside for fear of hostile protests.

"As a precaution in case of demonstrations which might inhibit movement, you are advised to maintain several days' stock of food and water," the British mission said.

The medical aid organisation Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said it had pulled its expatriate staff out of Darfur after the Sudanese government ordered them to leave.

In the Farchana camp in neighbouring Chad, some of the estimated 2.7 million people made homeless by the fighting in Darfur whooped with joy at news of the arrest warrant.

"I am delighted to learn that Beshir will soon have to answer for his guilt before a court. It is my most ardent wish," said Mahamat Adan, 35, who fled his farm in Mogada.

The joint UN-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur (UNAMID) said its patrols were operating as normal, but that its troops were "closely monitoring the state of affairs throughout the area".

However, one UNAMID official said: "Our guys on the ground feel that there is tension. The Sudanese security forces are much more visible in Darfur."

The Justice and Equality Movement, the most active Darfur rebel group which last month sign a deal with Khartoum to pave the way for broader peace talks, said it was no longer willing to negotiate.

Ahmed Tugod Lissan, JEM's chief negotiator, said it was now the "right time for political forces in Sudan to sit together and find a way to get rid of Beshir".

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