'Victory for humanity in Darfur'
2008-07-14 16:18
Khartoum - Darfur rebels reacted with delight on Monday after the International Criminal Court prosecutor called for Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir to be arrested for masterminding a genocidal campaign in the western Sudanese region.
Mahgoub Hussein, a spokesperson for a faction of the rebel Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), called it a "victory for humanity in Darfur," where war has been raging for more than five years, and the "beginning of liberty in the Sudan".
The rebels are ready "to carry out any tasks to arrest and extradite war criminals to the international court," Hussein said in a statement.
Suleiman Sandal, a field commander with the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), which in May came within shooting distance of the presidential palace in Khartoum, told AFP that his fighters in Darfur were celebrating the news.
"We have been waiting for this moment for a long time, so today we are celebrating, we are very happy," Sandal said, speaking by satellite telephone.
"This is a victory for the civilised people of the world and this is a victory for the suffering people in Darfur - indeed all over Sudan," Sandal said.
Untold suffering
"But the message we have is that we want the international community to go forward and not to stop, and JEM stands by, ready in every way to aid the International Criminal Court to bring these people to justice.
"Beshir has caused untold suffering and genocide against his own people, and we greatly appreciate this step by the international community."
Ahmed Diraige, chairperson of the Sudan Federal Democratic Alliance (SFDA), a party allied with many of the major rebel forces, also welcomed the ICC move.
"The decision by the ICC will encourage Beshir to work for peace in Darfur," said Diraige, speaking by telephone from London.
"If he does not act in the breathing space he has before the judges make their final decision, then the warrants will be issued - he knows this," said Diraige, a former governor of Darfur.
"This is a positive step, when all other means have been used up."