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| Sudanese president visits Darfur | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Sudan's president has begun a rare visit to Darfur, a week after the International Criminal Court (ICC) accused him of war crimes there. | |
| Omar al-Bashir is to visit a series of aid projects in Darfur, accompanied by officials and ambassadors. | |
| ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo sought an arrest warrant against Mr Bashir last week for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. | ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo sought an arrest warrant against Mr Bashir last week for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. |
| Sudan has said it does not recognise the ICC or its decisions. | Sudan has said it does not recognise the ICC or its decisions. |
| BBC Africa editor Martin Plaut says the visit will be an opportunity for Mr Bashir to show his concern for the region, and for people there to express their affection for him at popular ceremonies. | |
| Sudan has been on a diplomatic offensive since the ICC announced its charges, winning the backing of the Arab League and the African Union, our Africa editor says. | |
| Angry reaction | |
| Mr Moreno-Campo has accused the Sudanese leader of running a campaign of genocide that killed 35,000 people outright, at least another 100,000 through a "slow death" and forced 2.5 million to flee their homes in Darfur. | Mr Moreno-Campo has accused the Sudanese leader of running a campaign of genocide that killed 35,000 people outright, at least another 100,000 through a "slow death" and forced 2.5 million to flee their homes in Darfur. |
| In an angry reaction, Sudan's Vice-President Ali Osman Taha said last week that the evidence was false and indicated Sudan could try to halt the court's work. | |
| The African Union has called for the United Nations Security Council to suspend the accusations, while the Arab League said they set a dangerous precedent. | |
| The AU supplies most of the 9,000 peacekeepers in Darfur. The UN took joint control of the operation at the start of the year but the violence is continuing. | |
| Mr Ocampo has said he is also investigating leaders of Darfur rebel groups suspected of attacking peacekeepers last year in the southern town of Haskanita. | |
| On Wednesday, the leader of southern Sudan, Salva Kiir, urged the ICC to delay Mr Bashir's indictment and allow time for a peace agreement with former southern rebels, Reuters news agency reported. | |
| Fighting in an oil-rich area on the border of southern Sudan has recently threatened to derail a 2005 peace accord that ended 21 years of civil war - a separate conflict to that in Darfur. | |
| "The Sudanese government should be allowed to implement the accord signed with the South Sudan government and to negotiate with the fighting forces in Darfur," Mr Kiir said. |