The Sudanese government said that it discussed with the International Criminal Court 3 options to prosecute those accused of crimes in the Darfur region, and confirmed its willingness to cooperate with the International Criminal Court in accordance with the requirements of international criminal law.
This came according to the Sudanese Minister of Justice, Nasreddin Abdel Bari, after his meeting with the Prosecutor of the Court, Fatou Bensouda, in Khartoum.
Abdel-Bari said Sudan had made proposals on issues related to the Sudanese suspects whose arrest warrants had been issued.
He explained that the three options include forming a special court, or a hybrid court (mixed from Sudan and the court), or the defendants appearing before the court in The Hague.
He added that "the proposals are still under study, and we agreed to continue the discussions in the coming days," with the aim of reaching a common vision that meets the rights of victims and the will of the Sudanese government in accordance with international law.
The Sudanese minister did not specify the date of the next meeting with the court’s delegation, to complete the consultations regarding the trial of the Darfur accusers.
In turn, Bensouda described her meeting with Sudanese officials as fruitful and constructive, without further details.
Bensouda, who arrived in Sudan last Saturday, met with a number of officials, including the First Vice President of the Sovereignty Council, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), and Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok, who confirmed Sudan's readiness to cooperate with the International Criminal Court regarding the accused.
On the third of this October, the Sudanese parties signed in Juba (the capital of the state of South Sudan) the final peace agreement, which included the trial of those accused of crimes in Darfur.
In 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2012, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against former Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, former Defense Minister Abdel Rahim Hussein, and former Minister of Interior Ahmed Mohamed Haroun, on charges of committing genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur.