Transitional Military Council: Bashir to be tried in Sudan

CAIRO – 12 April 2019: Sudanese transitional military council announced on Friday that ousted President Omar al-Bashir will not be handed over to any foreign organization and he will stand for trial home.

“The military council will not hand over ousted President Omar al-Bashir to any foreign body. He will be tried inside the country. We will not hand him over,” said member of the council Omar Zein Elabdin during a press conference held by the council on Friday.

The ousted President was indicted by the U.N.’s International Criminal Court (ICC) for genocide. In March 2009, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Bashir on charges he and his Arab tribal allies were responsible for genocide against non-Arab Sudanese in Darfur, South Sudan, and crimes against humanity.

According to U.N. statistics collected on the Darfur Genocide from August 2007, more than 200,000 people were killed and at least 2 million others have been displaced from their homes since fighting broke out in 2003 between government forces and their allies the Arab tribal Janjaweed militias on one side, and rebel groups on the other side.

Sudanese Minister of Defense Awad Mohamed Ahmed Ibn Auf sworn on as the head of the transitional military council on Thursday evening, few hours after he announced the downfall of Bashir’s 26-year-old regime.


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Sudan defense minister sworn in as head of interim military council

KHARTOUM - 12 April 2019: Sudan's state-run broadcaster said Defense Minister Awad Mohammed Ibn Ouf on Thursday sworn in as head of the interim military council that will run the country for two years, The Sudanese TV reported. The move is being taken after the military ousted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Thursday following nearly four months of expanding protests.

Zein Elabdin said the council will be in charge of Ministries of Defense and Interior, adding that it will not “interfere into the upcoming government’s duties.”

Anyone will be involved in corruption, will be tried immediately, he said, adding that if anyone killed a protest will be held accountable.

Zein Elabdin continued that the council will hold dialogue with the political groups to meet the protests’ needs.

“The upcoming Sudanese government will be civil government and the transitional period will last for two years,” he said, noting that this period of military ruling could be shortened if “the desired results achieved.”