Tanzania Says ICC Charges Against Al-Bashir “Might Incite” Violence in Darfur

Excerpt from report by state-owned TBC (Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation) radio on 15 July

There have been mixed reactions to the decision by the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, to indict Sudanese President Umar al-Bashir for war crimes.

The Tanzanian foreign minister, who is also the chairman of the African Union Council of Ministers, Bernard Membe has said the decision might incite violence in Darfur and lead to a power vacuum in Sudan.

Membe’s statement comes at a time when the United Nations has started pulling out some of its non-essential staff from the troubled Darfur province in western Sudan.

[Passage omitted: More reactions from Sudan, UN and USA to the ICC's charges against Al-Bashir]

Originally published by TBC-Taifa radio, Dar es Salaam, in Swahili 0400 15 Jul 08.

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