ICC to seek arrest warrant against Sudan’s President, sources say

The International Criminal Court in the Hague is expected to seek an arrest warrant against the President of Sudan, Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

According to U.N. officials and diplomats, he’ll be charged with crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur.

The ICC’s Chief Prosecutor has previously accused the Sudanese government of sponsoring janjaweed militias who have terrorised the region.

Up to 300,000 people have died since the conflict began five years ago.

Aid agencies and foreign nationals in Sudan are bracing for a backlash.

Earlier this week, seven peacekeepers were killed and 19 injured in a militia ambush in Darfur.

It was one of the deadliest assaults on UN forces in recent years.

The Sudanese government blamed rebel groups for the attack.

An indictment of President al-Bashir, if it goes ahead, would mark the first time the International Criminal Court has charged a sitting head of state with war crimes.

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