Feb 11, 2020 - World

Sudan agrees to turn over officials wanted by ICC for war crimes

Rashaan Ayesh

Sudan's former dictator Omar al-Bashir in a defendant's cage — Sudan's deposed ruler Omar al-Bashir. Photo: Ebrahim Hamid/AFP via Getty Images

A top Sudanese official said Tuesday that the country's transitional leaders and rebel groups from the Darfur region reached an agreement to hand over officials wanted by the International Criminal Court for prosecution for war crimes, AP reports.

Why it matters: Though he was not specifically mentioned by name, those officials presumably include Sudan's deposed leader Omar al-Bashir, who was the the first person to be charged with genocide by the international body.

In a conflict that began in 2003, Bashir's government killed at least 300,000 people and displaced millions more in Darfur as it brutally cracked down on an insurgency movement in the region.
Bashir was overthrown in 2019 after months of protests calling for his removal.
"We can only achieve justice if we heal the wounds ... and we cannot escape from facing these ... without the appearance of those against whom arrest warrants were issued by the International Criminal Court," said Mohamed Hassan al-Taishi, a member of Sudan's sovereign council, per Al Jazeera.

Go deeper: Sudan's Omar al-Bashir toppled after 30 years in power

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Sudan agrees to turn over officials wanted by ICC for war crimes

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