DAR ES SALAAM (AFP) — The African Union on Monday warned of "widespread anarchy" in Sudan if the International Criminal Court indicted President Omar el-Beshir, echoing concern expressed by other world leaders.
But rebel groups in Sudan and several human rights groups welcomed ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo's request for an arrest warrant against Beshir on 10 charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Tanzanian Foreign Minister Bernard Membe speaking on behalf of the AU chair President Jakaya Kikwete, told AFP: "If Beshir is indicted and taken, there will be a power vacuum in the Sudan and that risks military coups and widespread anarchy reminiscent of what is happening in Iraq.
"We in the African Union do not condone impunity, genocide and violence because we believe in due process of the rule of law," he added.
"But what we are calling for is a deferment in indicting Beshir because there is a risk of anarchy in a proportion we have not seen in this continent," he added.
ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo on Monday accused Beshir of masterminding a genocidal campaign in Sudan's strife-torn western region of Darfur.
"What happened in Darfur is a consequence of Beshir's will," Moreno-Ocampo told journalists in The Hague.
But as news broke of Moreno-Ocampo's widely expected move, fears grew that it could deepen tensions in Darfur and lead to the expulsion of aid workers and peacekeepers there.
Within hours of Moreno-Ocampo's statement, the joint UN-AU peacekeeping mission in Darfur said it would evacuate non-essential staff from the war-torn region "due to the recent deteriorating security situation."
UN chief Ban Ki-moon had already made it clear he expected Khartoum to continue to cooperate with UN operations in Sudan -- and to guarantee the safety of United Nations peacekeepers.
Washington meanwhile said it would review the ICC arrest warrant request.
US National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said: "We urge all sides to remain calm. We will monitor the situation in The Hague and review what the prosecutor has requested, but we are not a part of the ICC."
Khartoum, which rejects the ICC's jurisdiction and has already refused to surrender two war crimes suspects named by the court, has warned that the move could threaten peace efforts.
The Egypt-based Arab League called an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers for Saturday, while the Saudi-based Organisation of the Islamic Conference expressed "deep concern" ahead of the ICC move.
But Darfur rebels reacted with delight, with a faction of the rebel Sudan Liberation Army calling it a "victory for humanity in Darfur" and the "beginning of liberty in the Sudan."
The rebels are ready "to carry out any tasks to arrest and extradite war criminals to the international court," SLA spokesman Mahgoub Hussein said in a statement.
A field commander with the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), which in May came within shooting distance of Beshir's presidential palace in Khartoum, said his fighters in Darfur were celebrating the news.
"We have been waiting for this moment for a long time, so today we are celebrating, we are very happy," he told AFP by satellite telephone.
In Europe, EU Development Commissioner Louis Michel said it was "important to bring an end to the impunity surrounding the crimes" committed in Darfur and blasted Khartoum's "flagrant" lack of cooperation with the ICC.
Spain however took a more cautious line.
"We respect this indictment but we will stay on the sidelines", a government source said, adding that "Spain supports the principle of universal justice.
"It must be seen how this affects the ongoing peace process," the source said.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier's office said he would discuss the issue when he met the UN secretary general in Berlin on Tuesday.
Human rights groups welcomed the move.
Amnesty International said it was "an important step towards ensuring accountability for human rights violations in Sudan."
"Charging President al-Beshir for the hideous crimes in Darfur shows that no one is above the law," said Richard Dicker, director of Human Rights Watch's International Justice Program.
"It is the prosecutor's job to follow the evidence wherever it leads, regardless of official position."
The UN says up to 300,000 people have died since the Darfur conflict broke out in February 2003. Khartoum puts the death toll at 10,000.
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