Sudan Thousands welcome Sudanese President in Darfur 23/07/08 20:29 CET

The Sudanese president has visited Darfur — his first trip there since being accused of genocide and war-crimes in the region.

Omar Hassan al-Bashir was cheered by crowds in the regional capital el-Fasher.

In a show of defiance to the chief war crimes prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in the Hague, he addressed thousands of Darfuris with a speech carried live on state TV.

He told them: “We all know that injustices happened here,” he said,“but from day one we have been working to provide stability for all the people of Darfur.”

In early 2003, Khartoum began using militia to put down an anti-government revolt in Darfur. Some experts believe 200,000 people have died, and 2.5 million have been displaced.

Al-Bashir said the request to have him arrested was a foreign conspiracy.