Al-Bashir lashes back at indictment talk

KHARTOUM, Sudan, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir said ongoing indictment efforts against him could threaten peace in Darfur.

The Sudanese leader said if International Criminal Court prosecutors go through with their indictment of al-Bashir on war crime charges, their efforts would only serve to derail current peace efforts in the Sudanese region, the BBC said Friday.

ICC prosecutors want al-Bashir indicted for his alleged involvement in the ongoing violence in Darfur.

"It impedes the Darfur peace talks by sending negative signals to Darfur rebel movements to distance themselves from the negotiating table," al-Bashir said of such international efforts.

"It also threatens the democratic transformation in Sudan where political parties have braced themselves for elections next year, and will have a catastrophic impact on stability in the entire region," he added.

The BBC said al-Bashir now claims to be a proponent for peace in Darfur, where an estimated 300,000 people have been killed and another 2.5 million have been forced to flee their homes due to widespread violence.