Bashir: Indicted, for Better or Worse

Yesterday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced its first indictment of a sitting head of state. Fittingly, its object was Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, whose government has overseen a persistent campaign of genocide and persecution in the country's western Darfur region. While Darfur advocates around the world will no doubt welcome what many see as well-deserved punishment, there is cause for concern that Bashir's indictment will slow an already faltering peace process. The Sudanese government has pledged to retaliate for the indictment, and Western aid workers and officials may well be the first casualties. While they are unlikely to be physically harmed, Khartoum has proved to be both willing and able to disrupting international aid efforts to Sudan's conflict-ridden western and southern regions.

More importantly, however, the participation of the Sudanese government is crucial to formulating a lasting peace in Sudan. President Bashir richly deserves to be judged for crimes against humanity, as the ICC indictment charges. But the indictment is nonetheless a serious affront to the Sudanese government, and delicate diplomacy will be necessary to ensure that it does not stall progress on future peace agreements. We can only hope that peace and justice, so often complimentary, are not in this case antagonists.