Just when you thought it couldn’t look much bleaker for peacekeeping, a reminder that it can:
Sudan has again warned it cannot guarantee the safety of UN and African Union peacekeepers in Darfur if its president is indicted for war crimes. A presidential adviser said that if the International Criminal Court indicted Omar al-Bashir, Sudan could not be held responsible for the troops’ well-being.
Earlier this month, the ICC prosecutor asked judges in The Hague to issue an arrest warrant for President Bashir. The judges are expected to announce their decision in a few weeks’ time.
The adviser, Bona Malual, told the BBC the government was not expelling the joint UN/AU force, or even threatening the troops.
It was, he said, simply saying how Sudan would view the situation.
