Darfur Union in the UK: Elmahdi Constant Flirting with GoS Should Not Come at the Expense of the Victim of Genocide and The Justice They are Seeking; the Case of Bashir at The Hague (ICC)
For the second time in the last 10 days, Elsadig Elmahdi decided to up his flirtatious antics with Bashir and the Government of Sudan (GoS) by mentioning the only “token” he knows best which could pave the way for better understanding between the two parties involved. On a televised appearance on the 20th July 2018 on the Russia Today (RT) channel (Ref. 1) as well at a political forum in London last week, Mr. Elmahdi mentioned that the way forward out of the issues surrounding the position of GoS from case of Bashir at the international criminal court (ICC prosecutor vs. Bashir, ref. 2), is to have political settlement/ reconciliation which in turn will make the international community reconsider their position on Bashir trial and change the approach to a CODESA esque one (Convention for a Democratic South Africa). Political settlement and the Bashir case in the ICC are mutually executive. The latter is a case of the people which was brought to light by the then ICC prosecutor in 2009, March the 4th against Omer Bashir, the sitting president of Sudan, for crimes committed under his commands that counts for the following:
5 counts for crimes against humanity
2 counts of war crimes
3 counts of genocide
The same speech was mentioned in a radio interview (Radio Afia Darfur; ref. 3). Elsadig Elmahdi, the chairman of Umma Party, and the head of Sudan Call Alliance had the repeated entertained such thought out loud which has formalised into a political stand. The use of the just case of the Sudanese people in Darfur for political bargaining is beyond believe. Protesters in Sudan (and across the world), and particularly in Darfur, under the heavy hand of Bashir and his militias, defied the restrictions and prosecution to say it out loud, Bashir to ICC; Trading the ICC case for Political Gain/ Scores is the ultimate treason (ref. 4).
Darfur Union in the UK is deeply saddened but yet not surprised about the repeated comments from Mr. Elmahdi. His track record speaks for itself. He needs to apologize to the people of Sudan in Darfur, to the victims of genocide, ethnic cleansing and prosecution in Darfur and beyond. There is a room to maneuver within the political landscape of Sudan, particularly when one is living abroad and exercising freedom of speech and civil liberties, which are basic rights our people back home are denied but are working to get them back from the GoS. Therefore, the focus for Mahdi and co. should be shifted to that and to use their voices for the good of people of Sudan, not to slap the victims and to put insult into injury.
The aforementioned raises the following question:- Does the comments made by Mr. Elmahdi represent the position of the Sudan Call Alliance about Sudan Case at The Hague?
More statement to follow from Darfur Union with this regards (CODESA and the Case of Bashir of Sudan at the ICC – NO PARALLELS).
Osama Mahmoud
Media and Communications Officer,
DARFUR Union in the UK
Website: http://darfurunionuk.wordpress.com
Email: [email protected]
Twitter handle: @Darfurunionuk
Ref. 1: Elmahdi TV Interview on RT channel https://arabic.rt.com/prg/telecast/958045-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%83%D9%8A%D9%81-%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%89-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B6%D8%A9-%D8%AD%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B2%D9%85%D8%A9/
Ref. 2: The Prosecutor vs. Omar Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir – ICC-02/05-01/09
https://www.icc-cpi.int/darfur/albashir
Ref. 3: Elmahdi Interview – Radio Afia Darfur – 2018
http://www.afiadarfur.com/icc-mahdi-reactions/
Ref. 4: Darfur Union in the UK: Commemoration of the 9th Anniversary of Bashir Indictment by the ICC
https://darfurunionuk.wordpress.com/2018/02/09/invitation-darfur-union-in-the-uk-commemorates-the-9th-anniversary-of-bashir-indictment-by-international-criminal-court-icc-in-leicester/