International peacekeepers in Sudan were bracing themselves yesterday for revenge attacks as diplomats announced that the country’s President would soon be charged with genocide and crimes against humanity by a court in The Hague.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the international prosecutor, plans to seek an arrest warrant for Omar al-Bashir from judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday. He will become the first sitting head of state and the first Arab leader to be charged by the ICC.

Abdalmahmood Mohamad, Sudan’s Ambassador to the UN, gave warning that the repercussions of charging Mr al-Bashir could be disastrous. “It’s playing with fire. We want to caution and alert the international community to the possible consequences,” he said. “All options are open for us. All reactions are open.”

Anticipating a fierce Sudanese response to the move, diplomats and UN officials have been holding urgent talks on the future of the huge UN peacekeeping missions in Darfur and southern Sudan.

UN officials fear that the charges, which must be approved by ICC judges, could precipitate the collapse of the fragile peacekeeping force in Darfur, where about 300,000 people have died since government-backed Janjawid Arab militias began driving villagers from their homes in 2003.

The UN has ordered thousands of peacekeepers in Sudan to regroup and sent in extra provisions. Peacekeeping commanders and other key personnel have been told to cut short leave and return to their posts.

UN staff in Khartoum have received an urgent security notice warning them to “upgrade their personal security measures” by refraining from all but essential travel over the weekend. “Ensure that you have an adequate supply of food and water in your home for several days, and that your vehicle is fully fuelled. Keep your personal documents and other essentials available,” it said.

The five veto-holding powers at the UN, including Britain, met privately on Thursday with Jean-Marie Guehenno, the head of UN peacekeeping, to discuss “force protection” after an attack on UN troops in northern Darfur on Tuesday, leaving seven dead and 22 wounded. A joint UNAfrican Union force is struggling to stabilise Darfur despite having only 9,500 of its full strength of 26,000 peacekeepers. The UN also maintains another 10,000 peacekeepers in southern Sudan to police the peace settlement that ended the long-running civil war.

The attack on a convoy of 60 UN peacekeepers by a group of 200 armed men in Darfur on Tuesday is seen as a possible prelude to a wider offensive against UN peacekeepers. UN officials describe the attack as an ambush by Sudanese government proxies in which more advanced weaponry, such as recoilless rifles mounted on the back of “technical vehicles”, were used in Darfur for the first time.

The international prosecutor has already charged 11 war crimes suspects from Africa — including two Sudanese accused of organising the mass killings, torture, rape and forcible displacement in Darfur.

One is Ahmad Harun, who allegedly co-ordinated the Sudanese Army and Janjawid militia while serving as Minister of State for the Interior.

UN officials are still forced to deal with Mr Harun because he is now Sudan’s Secretary of State for Humanitarian Affairs and the Government’s liaison with the UN force in Darfur. The other indictee is Janjawid militia leader Ali Kushayb.

Mr Moreno-Ocampo, an Argentinian, told the UN last month that the “entire state apparatus” had been mobilised for the campaign of rape and pillage in Darfur. Britain, which is publicly supportive of the ICC, is said to have warned the prosecutor privately of the wideranging consequences of indicting the Sudanese President.

Mr Mohamad, Sudan’s UN Ambassador, called for the 15-nation Security Council to exercise its power to suspend the indictment for a year in the interests of peace. Security Council members such as Britain will face strong pressure from rights activists not to let Mr al-Bashir off the hook.

“Some panic-prone diplomats will call on the UN to halt the ICC proceedings. In doing so they will squander the only point of leverage the international community has on a regime that governs by genocide,” said James Smith, chief executive of the Aegis Trust, a British charity.

Omar al-Bashir

— Born in January 1944 in a village in northern Sudan, son of a small farmer. Graduated from the Sudan Military Academy in Khartoum in 1966

— Served with Egyptian Armed Forces during the October 1973 Arab-Israeli war and rose through the ranks to become a general

— While Minister of Defence in 1989, led a religious mutiny against Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi, dismissed the Government and proclaimed himself chairman of a Revolutionary Command Council

— After a failed coup in 1990, reorganised Government to increase Islamist influence, and introduced Sharia everywhere but the south

— Civilian rule returned in 1993, Mr al-Bashir appointed President

— Arrested opposition leader Hassan al-Turabi in 2001 on trumped-up charges of attempting to overthrow Government. Mr al-Turabi released in 2003

— Sudan Liberation Army and the Justice and Equality Movement — Darfurian rebel groups — rose up in 2004 against government neglect and persecution

— Genocide in Darfur referred to the ICC by the UN Security Council in 2005

Source: Times archives

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