Syria Today | Syria reiterates denouncement of ICC arrest warrant on Sudanese President

Syria reiterates denouncement of ICC arrest warrant on Sudanese President

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad reiterated to Sudanese Foreign Minister Deng Alor in Damascus that his country rejects foreign interference into Sudan’s war-torn western region of Darfur, Syria’s state-run news agency SANA reported on June 9.

Assad said Syria supports efforts to bring about peace in Sudan but “insisted on the need to preserve the territorial and national unity of Sudan and reject all foreign interference aimed at damaging its security and stability”, SANA reported.

Alor also met with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Mu’allem who reiterated Syria’s denouncement of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to issue an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for alleged war crimes in Darfur. Mu’allem said the ICC warrant was “an unprecedented act contrary to international law”.

The arrest warrant on Bashir comes amid accusations that he has committed crimes against humanity, including murder, forcible transfer, torture and rape, and two counts of war crimes – attacks against civilians and pillaging.

The UN claims 300,000 people have died in clashes between ethnic minority rebels in Darfur and militias backed by Bashir’s government in Khartoum since 2003, with some 2.7 million civilians estimated to have fled their homes. Sudan says 10,000 civilians have been killed in the war-torn region.