Khartoum, ICC Agree to Try Bashir

Head of Sudan’s Sovereign Council Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan has revealed an agreement between Khartoum and the International Criminal Court (ICC) to try ousted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

In an interview with Al-Arabiya Al-Hadath television on Thursday night, Burhan said judicial authorities in Sudan agreed with the ICC to try Bashir and other wanted figures in Sudan or any other place agreed upon.

“The ICC did not request extraditing Bashir to The Hague but rather trying him to achieve justice,” he stressed.

Burhan also renewed his country’s stance on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam dispute and the importance of reaching a binding legal agreement on its operation and filling.

He also called on Addis Ababa to withdraw from al-Fashaqa region, saying Sudan was not seeking war against Ethiopia.

However, he stressed his country’s right to defend its land, adding it was ready to confront any escalation despite its willingness to coordinate a solution to the dispute.

Moreover, Burhan said the transitional government has started to reap the benefits of Sudan’s removal from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism.

“Khartoum has taken the first step to restore the country’s position in the regional and international community despite the challenges facing the transitional phase.”

He further denied any internal differences between civilians and the military in the government and between him and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.

Burhan pointed to the development of relations with the United States, albeit at “slow pace,” and the intelligence bilateral cooperation.

Asked about the normalization of relations with Israel and the exchanged visits between officials, Burhan replied that relations have been recently limited to intelligence work aimed at addressing terrorism in Sudan and abroad.

He denied any visit by a Sudanese official to Tel Aviv but for the first time revealed that an Israeli delegation had visited Khartoum, headed by Minister of Intelligence, as well as other technical delegations, without naming them.