Omar al-Bashir, Sudan’s ex-dictator, could at last face justice

FOR MOREICCICCICCICC than a decade, Omar al-Bashir gaily thumbed his nose at the International Criminal Court (). After he was indicted for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in the country’s western region of Darfur, his defiance badly damaged the young court’s credibility. On February 11th, however, Sudan’s former dictator was pushed a step closer to justice, as the new Sudanese government agreed that he would appear before the . Where, and when, that might happen remains unresolved. But if it happens, it will chip away at the culture of impunity that emboldens despots everywhere.Mr Bashir, who seized power in 1989, now languishes in a Sudanese prison after being swept from office last April in a popular uprising. The decision to let him appear before the was taken by the country’s new joint military and civilian council during talks with Darfuri rebel groups in Juba, the capital of South Sudan. Handing Mr Bashir over to the has been one of the rebels’ long-standing demands.