Sudan to lobby UN to avert president's prosecution over Darfur genocide

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Sudan heads to the United Nations this week to push a behind-the-scenes lobbying effort to avert the prosecution of the country's longtime president on charges of genocide in Darfur. But prospects seemed dim at a time when Sudan has shown little willingness to compromise and launched an expansive military offensive against rebels in western Darfur region. Efforts by African countries, the tiny Gulf state of Qatar and France to solve the crisis also have not yielded tangible results. The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has asked judges to issue an arrest warrant against President Omar al-Bashir on charges he carried out genocide in Darfur. Up to 300,000 people have been killed and more than 2.5 million have been chased from their homes in the region since fighting between goverment-backed janjaweed militia and rebels began in early 2003.