Khartoum, ICC Agree to Try Bashir

Bashir during a court appearance in Khartoum. (Reuters)
Bashir during a court appearance in Khartoum. (Reuters)
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Khartoum, ICC Agree to Try Bashir

Bashir during a court appearance in Khartoum. (Reuters)
Bashir during a court appearance in Khartoum. (Reuters)

Head of Sudan’s Sovereign Council Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan has revealed an agreement between Khartoum and the International Criminal Court (ICC) to try ousted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

In an interview with Al-Arabiya Al-Hadath television on Thursday night, Burhan said judicial authorities in Sudan agreed with the ICC to try Bashir and other wanted figures in Sudan or any other place agreed upon.

“The ICC did not request extraditing Bashir to The Hague but rather trying him to achieve justice,” he stressed.

Burhan also renewed his country's stance on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam dispute and the importance of reaching a binding legal agreement on its operation and filling.

He also called on Addis Ababa to withdraw from al-Fashaqa region, saying Sudan was not seeking war against Ethiopia.

However, he stressed his country’s right to defend its land, adding it was ready to confront any escalation despite its willingness to coordinate a solution to the dispute.

Moreover, Burhan said the transitional government has started to reap the benefits of Sudan's removal from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism.

"Khartoum has taken the first step to restore the country’s position in the regional and international community despite the challenges facing the transitional phase."

He further denied any internal differences between civilians and the military in the government and between him and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.

Burhan pointed to the development of relations with the United States, albeit at “slow pace,” and the intelligence bilateral cooperation.

Asked about the normalization of relations with Israel and the exchanged visits between officials, Burhan replied that relations have been recently limited to intelligence work aimed at addressing terrorism in Sudan and abroad.

He denied any visit by a Sudanese official to Tel Aviv but for the first time revealed that an Israeli delegation had visited Khartoum, headed by Minister of Intelligence, as well as other technical delegations, without naming them.



Sudan Lashes Out at Kenya's 'Hostile' Support for Rival Govt

Sudanese attend a protest in support of the army in the eastern city of Gedaref on February 22, 2025. (AFP)
Sudanese attend a protest in support of the army in the eastern city of Gedaref on February 22, 2025. (AFP)
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Sudan Lashes Out at Kenya's 'Hostile' Support for Rival Govt

Sudanese attend a protest in support of the army in the eastern city of Gedaref on February 22, 2025. (AFP)
Sudanese attend a protest in support of the army in the eastern city of Gedaref on February 22, 2025. (AFP)

Sudan's army-aligned administration lashed out Monday at what it called Kenya's "irresponsible and hostile" support for efforts by Khartoum's paramilitary rivals to form a parallel government.

Since April 2023, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, once allies, have been locked in a power struggle that has dragged the country into war.

Late Saturday, the RSF and a coalition of political and armed groups signed in Nairobi a charter that would pave the way for a "peace and unity" government in rebel-held areas, with Kenya's foreign minister later saying the proposed administration would restore "democratic governance" in Sudan.

Sudan's foreign ministry condemned the "dangerous precedent" on Monday, saying that "in a grave threat to regional security and peace, the Kenyan leadership has adopted the parallel government that the genocidal militia and its followers intend to declare in some of the remaining pockets under their control".

The government, it added, would take "the necessary steps to respond to this irresponsible and hostile behavior".

Those steps appeared to be taking shape Monday, with foreign ministry undersecretary Hussein Al-Amin Al-Fadil telling a press conference in Port Sudan that "measures against Kenya are escalating, and there are arrangements for economic measures, including a ban on importing Kenyan products".

He also said Sudan was in the process of withdrawing its ambassador from Nairobi and would file a complaint against Kenya through regional and international channels.

Among the signatories of the charter was a faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, which controls parts of the southern states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

The United Nations warned that the signing of the charter would "increase the fragmentation" of the war-torn country.

But in a post on X on Sunday, Kenyan Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi called the charter "a peace agreement", describing the proposed administration as a "a unity government" that would restore "peace, stability, and democratic governance in Sudan".

In its statement, Khartoum accused Nairobi of creating a "false facade for the militia to directly obtain weapons", while "relieving regional sponsors of some embarrassment".

The foreign ministry said that this "would expand the scope of war and prolong its duration" and warned of potential damage to bilateral ties with Kenya.

Fadil said Monday that Kenyan President William Ruto "has known personal interests with the militia leader and its sponsors, and is betting on losing cards".

Saturday's signing of the charter comes as the army and its allied factions are making advances against the RSF in the capital Khartoum and in central Sudan.

The war in Sudan, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives, erupted after a rift emerged between Burhan and Daglo over the future structure of the government.

The war has triggered the world's largest displacement and hunger crisis.

Both warring sides face accusations of committing grave atrocities against civilians, with their leaders sanctioned by the US.