[Beirut Daily Star: Region] Sudan's embattled president told a rally on Tuesday that his own officials would track down war criminals in Darfur, dismissing Western attempts to bring justice to the region.Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir - who is himself wanted on charges of masterminding atrocities in Darfur - addressed a crowd of thousands in Zalingei, one of the most politically charged towns in Darfur.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Bashir to face charges of alleged war crimes carried out during almost six years of fighting in Sudan's violent west, but he has refused to deal with the court. "We know about justice between us and we know how to solve our problems. We have a committee for tribal reconciliation," he told the crowd.
"After the reconciliation we will investigate those who are criminals and those who committed crimes and those who were killed and those who were killers. This is all guaranteed. Compensation will be paid. Everyone will get their right. This is justice." Bashir again refused to reconsider his decision to expel 13 foreign aid groups, including Oxfam and Save the Children, which he accused of helping the global court.
The president also accused Darfur rebels of sabotaging efforts to develop the region and appealed to members of the crowd with links to insurgents to persuade them to lay down their arms.
Zalingei is the birthplace of some of Darfur's best-known rebels, including Sudan Liberation Army founder Abdel-Wahed Mohammad Ahmad al-Nur, and is a hotbed of anti-government sentiment.
But there was no obvious sign of opposition at the rally where Bashir arrived on the back of an open truck, as streams of white-robed Darfuris rode past him on horses and camels.
On the edges on the crowd, people climbed trees and stood on the raised scoop of an industrial digger to get a better view.