Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo presented evidence to the ICC today in The Hague supporting charges of genocide and war crimes by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in Darfur. Following a three-year investigation, Moreno-Ocampo concluded that al-Bashir "masterminded and implemented a plan to destroy in substantial part the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa groups, on account of their ethnicity." Moreno-Ocampo asked the three sitting ICC judges to issue an arrest warrant for al-Bashir.

The prosecutor's actions have elicited fears of violent repercussions by the Government of Sudan against the UN-AU peacekeeping force in Darfur. Last week, 7 UNAMID peacekeepers were killed and 22 wounded by Janjaweed militiamen [1] with ties to the Sudanese government. Fearing further violence against the peacekeeping force in the wake of these allegations, the UN has responded [2] by announcing it will begin withdrawing "non-essential staff" from Darfur starting Tuesday.

Despite the potential short-term security consequences, GI-NET Director of Civilian Protection Chad Hazlett remains optimistic about both the short-term and long-term benefits of a possible ICC indictment of al-Bashir [3]. Responding to claims that an indictment would come at the expense of security in Darfur, Hazlett says "The current state of affairs does not inspire confidence that peace or security will be achieved so long as the quest for justice does not interfere." Hazlett notes that an indictment of al-Bashir may cause the Sudanese President and other high-level officials, including rebel forces to change their behavior or negotiate a peace treaty that would provide "the consent required to get a real protection force on the ground."