Warrant issued for the arrest of the president of Sudan

Today, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for the arrest of Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir, the president of Sudan. The ICC press release read:

“Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for the arrest of Omar Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir, President of Sudan, for war crimes and crimes against humanity. He is suspected of being criminally responsible, as an indirect (co-) perpetrator, for intentionally directing attacks against an important part of the civilian population of Darfur, Sudan, murdering, exterminating, raping, torturing and forcibly transferring large numbers of civilians, and pillaging their property. This is the first warrant of arrest ever issued for a sitting Head of State by the ICC. …”

The ICC expects that, as if by magic, the government of Sudan will cooperate.

Sudan is not classified as a weak state. This is partly because the government of Sudan has successfully centralized the use of force, however wrongly it is used to perpetuate this corrupt leader in power. It thus follows that you do not issue a warrant for a sitting head of state, a popular one amongst large segments of the Sudanese population one must add, unless you are prepared to back such actions with force. Would the ICC issue warrants in the future for Presidents Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela?

Incidentally, President Obama will soon call for NATO fellow members to provide more troops for Afghanistan. I guess we already know the answer, which nonetheless will be adorned with beautiful rhetoric about an Atlantic alliance fighting for democracy and freedom. Sudan is further down the priorities of many NATO members other than on the conference circuit.

The only thing this headline-grabbing warrant has achieved is for the relief community to be expelled from Sudan. In the process, the only real help persecuted Sudanese at large were getting is being effectively shut down. Even if this happens partially or temporarily, innocent civilian will unnecessarily die.

The ICC, based at The Hague, The Netherlands, is not part of the UN. It is an independent international organization. This clearly shows, as there were no signs of preemptive coordination with the UN and the relief community before issuing the warrant.

Perhaps it is time to give serious consideration to plans by certain Private Military Companies to engage the Janjaweed. Considering the state of the world economy and the unwillingness of the international community of states to use force for the achievement of humanitarian endeavors, it would be more effective and cheaper.