'Genocide arrest for Sudan's al-Bashir'

An arrest warrant is reportedly being sought for Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for war crimes committed in Darfur.

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, is due to submit to judges "evidence on crimes committed in the whole of Darfur over the last five years" and seek to charge an individual or individuals but gave no details.

It would mark the first time that the UN war crimes tribunal, which sits in The Hague, has charged a sitting head of state with such crimes.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon has declined to say who will be named or what the consequences might be for a UN-African Union peacekeeping force which is struggling in Darfur and lost seven soldiers in an attack by unidentified militia on Tuesday.

However, charities fear a backlash over the move while Sudan has said it could undermine the peace process there. The investigation also could embarrass China, Sudan's close ally, just weeks before the start of the Beijing Olympics.

Last year, ICC judges issued arrest warrants for Sudanese government minister Ahmad Harun and militia commander Ali Kushayb but the country has refused to hand them over, saying its own courts can handle any war criminals.

At least 200,000 people have died in Darfur and 2.5 million have been displaced since a rebellion erupted in 2003. Sudan's government says 10,000 people have been killed.

Alex de Waal, a Sudan expert from the New York-based Social Science Research Council, warned that going after top Sudanese leaders could embolden rebels in Darfur and reignite conflict.

He said: "Bashir is somebody who is proud, prone to anger and emotional outbursts, who responds to humiliation with rage. The prospects for him responding very aggressively are very real, as are the prospects for polarisation and bloodshed."

Sudan's permanent representative to the United Nations, Abdelmahmood Abdalhaleem, said Mr Moreno-Ocampo was "irresponsible."

He said: "We are not afraid of Ocampo's threats. If he was to name our president then he is under obligation to name the 40 million citizens of Sudan because the 40 million citizens firmly reject this blackmailing."

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