KHARTOUM, Sudan, April 26 (UPI) -- Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir was declared the winner of this month's landmark elections in the country.
This comes as the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against al-Bashir for his alleged war crimes in the Darfur region, BBC News reports.
The vote was highly controversial, as observers and opposition parties complained of fraud in both the north and south. Al-Bashir's two main challengers withdrew before the elections, claiming the process had been rigged.
Several hundred international observers and 18,000 domestic observers monitored the country's first multiparty election in 24 years.
Sudan extended voting by a few days after former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who was one of the independent election monitors, requested additional time to make sure all eligible voters had the opportunity to cast ballots.
Africa's biggest country, Sudan is starkly divided across religious and ethnic lines. It has become notorious for genocide in the Darfur region, where violence continues.
