The civil democratic forces alliance Samoud held talks with officials at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on the handover of individuals wanted by the court, including ousted Sudanese president Omar al Bashir, former defence minister Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein, and Islamist figure Ahmed Haroun.
According to media, the delegation called for the ICC’s mandate to be extended to cover all of Sudan, and for investigations into crimes and violations committed nationwide since the outbreak of the April 15, 2023 war.
Samoud representatives met several senior ICC officials to discuss stalled arrest warrants and the need to bring suspects to international justice. The talks focused on long outstanding cases linked to Darfur, as well as newer allegations tied to the current conflict.
The Darfur conflict has remained one of Sudan’s most prominent international justice files since the UN Security Council referred the situation to the ICC over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in 2003 and 2004. While Ali Abdel Rahman Kushayb was convicted, other high level cases, including those against al Bashir and former senior officials, remain unenforced.
Rights groups have repeatedly called for expanding the court’s reach, arguing that impunity has enabled further abuses across Sudan.
Chemical weapons allegations
On Monday, Samoud also met the head of the executive council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Fernando Arias, who told the delegation that several states had raised concerns over the alleged use of internationally banned chemical weapons by the Sudanese Armed Forces, SAF, during the war.
Last Tuesday in Paris, Samoud foreign relations committee head Babiker Faisal said the Port Sudan authorities were protecting individuals wanted by international justice, including al Bashir, while accusing civilian forces calling for an end to the war of “terrorism”.
A Samoud delegation has begun a European tour, holding meetings with governments and parliaments to push for peace in Sudan and highlight the deepening humanitarian crisis.
Sudan has been in turmoil since mid April 2023, with fighting between SAF and the Rapid Support Forces causing mass displacement, the collapse of state institutions, and what the UN describes as the world’s worst hunger crisis.
