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Kenya: Al-Bashir threats met with outrage
[Daily Nation (Kenya)]  The two-week ultimatum issued by Sudanese President Omar al-BashirHead of the National Congress Party. He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi and eventually appointed himself president-for-life. He has fallen out with his Islamic mentor, Hasan al-Turabi, tried to impose shariah on the Christian and animist south, resulting in its secessesion, and attempted to ArabizeDarfur by unleashing the barbaric Janjaweed on it. Sudan's potential prosperity has been pissed away in warfare that has left as many as 400,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced. Omar has been indicted for genocide by the International Criminal Court but nothing is expected to come of it. for Nairobi to overturn a High Court order for his arrest has sparked outrage and scepticism. Lawyers on Sunday said the ultimatum was unrealistic and warned it could lead to a crisis in the region. The Sudanese strongman is wanted by the  International Criminal Court... where Milosevich died of old age before being convicted ... on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed by his army and allied militia in Darfur. On Saturday, President al-Bashir issued a terse statement threatening to slap a broad array of sanctions on Kenya unless an order for his arrest issued by High Court judge, Justice Nicholas Ombija is set aside. Prof David Kikaya, a former Kenyan ambassador said Khartoum should appeal the ruling instead of issuing threats. "I can only see two ways to solve this matter. One is diplomatically through a healthy dialogue -- not ultimatum -- at the ministerial and even at Heads of State level. Secondly, there should a legal approach in which Khartoum should appeal the ruling," he said. Law Society of Kenya vice chairman Florence Kajuju said the due process must be followed for the appeal that the Executive has announced it would make. "Ultimatums do not help at all and we are not under Sudan to be subject to baseless threats," she said. Posted by: Fred 2011-12-05 |
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