The United States on Wednesday welcomed Sudan's decision to hand over ousted President Omar Al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court (ICC). US State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters that the US welcomes the Sudanese decision, adding that it would be a major step for Khartoum in the war against decades of impunity. The reaction came after the Sudanese government decided on Wednesday to hand Omar Al-Bashir over to the International Criminal Court (ICC) along with other officials wanted over the Darfur conflict. Bashir, who ruled Sudan for three decades before being deposed in 2019, faces charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. The conflict in Darfur began around 2003 when several rebel groups took up arms against the government in Khartoum. They had grievances over land and historical marginalization. In response, the government's counterinsurgency strategy targeted the opposition groups, but reportedly expanded to target tribes associated with the insurgents. The government-backed Janjaweed militia was also accused of raping women in Darfur, and the government was accused of using chemical weapons against the community. In 2009, the ICC's chief prosecutor first issued an arrest warrant for Bashir on charges of genocide and war crimes related to Darfur. The court issued another arrest warrant in 2010, but in 2014 had to suspend the case because of lack of support from the United Nations Security Council. On Wednesday, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said that he is mandated — as an ICC official and in accordance with his mandate from the UN Security Council — to conduct independent investigations into what happened in Darfur. Khan said that he seeks the cooperation of anyone who has information about these events and that this "requires the cooperation and assistance of the Sudanese, whether in Darfur or Khartoum, on all the crimes that have been committed, including mass killings, crimes against humanity and other crimes as everyone's responsibility." — CNN with inputs from agencies
