Khartoum, Sudan, Jul 15, 2008 / 23:10 pm
A Sudanese Catholic bishop has said that the International Criminal Court’s decision to indict Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir for genocide and for crimes against humanity has divided the country. While those in conflict-torn Darfur are happy with the move, demonstrations in support of the president have broken out in Khartoum and in other parts of the country.
“Demonstrations supporting the president have already started in El Obeid. This morning all the schools participated in a great demonstration in the centre of the town. Surely, in the coming days other groups will do the same,” Bishop Antonio Menegazzo of El Obeid told Catholic Information Service for Africa (CISA).
The location of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, has aggravated the reaction, he said.
“Do not forget that politics in the Moslem world are always tied up with religion, even if religion has nothing to do with this case. The indictment is coming from Europe; the ICC resides in a Christian country,” the bishop explained.