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Bashir vows to defy Darfur charge Bashir vows to defy Darfur charge
(10 minutes later)
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has angrily rejected the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against him.Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has angrily rejected the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against him.
Mr Bashir told cheering supporters at a protest in the capital that Sudan would not "kneel" to colonialists.Mr Bashir told cheering supporters at a protest in the capital that Sudan would not "kneel" to colonialists.
He said he defied outsiders to come to Sudan and talk about human rights.He said he defied outsiders to come to Sudan and talk about human rights.
He is accused of two counts of war crimes and five of crimes against humanity in Darfur, in the first such warrant for a serving head of state.He is accused of two counts of war crimes and five of crimes against humanity in Darfur, in the first such warrant for a serving head of state.
Mr Bashir told thousands of people in the city's Martyrs Square: Mr Bashir, 65, told thousands of people in the city's Martyrs Square: "We are telling the colonialists we are not succumbing; we are not submitting; we will not kneel; we are targeted because we refuse to submit."
"Today Sudan is raising its voice. We are telling the colonialists we are not succumbing; we are not submitting; we will not kneel; we are targeted because we refuse to submit. The African Union is holding an emergency meeting in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to discuss the arrest warrant, a day after warning it would hurt an ailing peace process in Sudan.
'Lions and tigers' We will carry on rejecting colonialism Omar al-Bashir class="" href="/1/hi/world/africa/7502973.stm">Profile: Sudan's Omar al-Bashir class="" href="/1/hi/in_pictures/7925064.stm">In pictures: Khartoum protests class="" href="/1/hi/world/africa/7925130.stm">Refugees' relief at warrant class="" href="/1/hi/world/africa/3834237.stm">Q&A: International Criminal Court
"We are lions and we have tigers. We will carry on rejecting colonialism." Some Arab nations also said the ruling would hinder Darfur peace efforts, but the US and EU has welcomed the ICC decision.
China, which buys much of Sudan's oil, urged the court to postpone the case, warning it risked destabilising Darfur.
Sudan reacted to Wednesday's ICC indictment by reaffirming it had no intention of handing over its leader and promptly expelling 10 foreign aid agencies.
Thursday's rally in the capital was the latest show of public support for Sudan's veteran leader.
The BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones in Khartoum says pro-Bashir supporters, some in cars with loud-speakers, shouted slogans denouncing the West.
"We are lions and we have tigers," Mr Bashir told the crowd, waving his walking stick in the air. "We will carry on rejecting colonialism."
He said the ICC, together with the UN Security Council and the International Monetary Fund, were trying to "colonise people anew and steal their resources".He said the ICC, together with the UN Security Council and the International Monetary Fund, were trying to "colonise people anew and steal their resources".
"They claim that human rights are being violated in Sudan," he said. "We defy them to come here in Sudan and show us what's happening here.""They claim that human rights are being violated in Sudan," he said. "We defy them to come here in Sudan and show us what's happening here."
The BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones in Khartoum says pro-Bashir supporters, some in cars with loud-speakers, shouted slogans denouncing the West. On Wednesday, the ICC accused Mr Bashir of responsibility for a campaign of extermination, rape and pillage during the six-year Darfur conflict.
The UN estimates that 300,000 people have died and 2.7 million displaced during the fighting in Darfur. But the tribunal at The Hague rejected a further allegation of genocide, saying there was insufficient evidence.
The ICC on Wednesday accused Mr Bashir of responsibility for a campaign of extermination, rape and pillage during the six-year conflict. The UN estimates that 300,000 people have died and 2.7 million displaced in Darfur, since black African rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated regime demanding a greater share of resources and power.
The tribunal rejected a further allegation of genocide, saying there was insufficient evidence.
Sudan reacted by reaffirming it had no intention of co-operating with the ICC and promptly expelling 10 foreign aid agencies.
The US and EU welcomed the ICC decision, but some Arab and African nations said it would hinder Darfur peace efforts and called for the case to be suspended.
China, which buys much of Sudan's oil, also urged the ICC to postpone the case, warning it risked destabilising Darfur.
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