Sudan initiates probe into Darfur region crimes under Omar al-Bashir

Sudan State Prosecutor told the media on December 22 that the country has initiated an investigation into crimes committed in the Darfur region by members of the previous government under former President Omar al-Bashir. A criminal case has also been opened against former President Omar al-Bashir on charges of crimes against humanity in Darfur informed Attorney General Taj Al-Sir Ali Al-Hebr in a press conference in Khartoum.

The General Prosecution has filed a criminal case against al-Bashir and former Defence Minister Abdel-Rahim Mohamed Hussein besides 51 other defendants accused of committing crimes in Darfur, he elaborated. Legal procedures have started to bring back former chief of National Intelligence and Security Service Salah Abdallah from Egypt, he added. The prosecutor said that all leaders of the former regime will face criminal cases with punishments including death penalties, noting that perpetrators of such crimes cannot be released on bail.

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"We have started investigation procedures on the crimes which have been committed in Darfur since 2003," Al-Hebr said.

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Conviction of al-Bashir

The International Criminal Court in Hague had issued an arrest warrant against al-Bashir for allegedly committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Darfur region on  March 4, 2009. A charge of genocide was also added to the arrest warrant in 2010. Meanwhile, Sudan's new transitional government has vowed to establish peace in conflict-hit regions, including Darfur. The Former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was convicted by the country's court on December 14 on charges of corruption and illicit possession of foreign currency. He has been sentenced to two years of detention in a reform facility. The 75-year-old was ousted in April following months of street protests against his three-decade rule. The court has decided to send him to a reform facility rather than a prison, on account of his age. Prosecutors have also ordered the confiscation of 6.9 million euros as well as USD 351,770 and 5.7 million Sudanese pounds (USD 128,000) found in Bashir’s residence when he was thrown off his position.

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(With inputs from ANI)

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