Al-Bashir Indictment Could Damage Disarmament Process

Khartoum
January 7, 2009 (SRS)

The Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Commission or DDRC for Northern Sudan, says the indictment of President Omar Al-Bashir by the International Criminal Court, will affect donors' support for the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

Addressing the press on Tuesday in Khartoum, the chairman of the DDRC in northern Sudan, Dr. Sulaf Eldeen Saleh, said that any move by the ICC to issue an arrest warrant against President Omar Al-Bashir will have a negative influence on donor support for the DDR program and the implementation of the CPA. He added that if an arrest warrant is issued, the UN and its operations in Sudan will be affected.

[Sulaf Eldeen Saleh]: "Our major concern is that the decision of the ICC may affect the DDR program in Sudan and at this juncture I would like to urge the international community, the UN Security Council and the ICC to follow measures that will help legal institutions in Sudan to execute their roles instead of supporting indictments specially at the level of the presidency because we are all aware that this will have a direct and negative impact on the role of the UN and its operations in Sudan and will directly affect donors' commitment to encouraging development in Sudan.”

He urged the UN Security Council and the ICC to stop legal procedures that would lead to the issuance of an arrest warrant against President Al-Bashir.

Dr. Sulaf Eldeen said that the DDR program has been a success in northern Sudan stating that 5,000 ex-soldiers, mostly children from the Sudanese Armed Forces, have been enrolled in the DDR process in Khartoum state.

He also said that 18,000 former SPLA soldiers will take part in the DDR program in South Kordofan and Blue Nile States.

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