The Sudanese Presidents Omar al- Bashir on Thursday lashed out at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for its ignorance over Iraq and Gaza at a massive rally in Sudan's capital city Khartoum.
"The ICC ignores the criminal acts in Iraq and Gaza," the president said, referring to two war-torn territories where large numbers of civilians have been killed in the past few years.
The embattled president made the remarks at a massive rally on an avenue outside the Council of Ministers, where tens of thousands of people attended, meant to express Sudanese support for the president in face of the ICC's arrest warrant issued Wednesday.
Earlier, Bashir said at a special session of the Council of Ministers that the government has decided to expel 10 foreign NGOs, including Oxfam, Medical Sans Frontier, and two domestic organizations for their violation of the law and cooperation with the ICC.
"I thank the ICC's decision, for it can do nothing but help unify the Sudanese people," Bashir added, calling on all parties to establish a comprehensive coalition to cope with "colonialism and hegemony."
Wielding his trademark stick and chanting slogans, Bashir's rhetoric was hailed by the crowd who raised flags, banners, portraits of the president and a forest of arms.
"We will get rid of the disruptions and implement development schemes...to forge a great nation." he added.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Hague-based ICC issued an arrest warrant against Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the country's restive western region of Darfur between 2003 and 2008.
However, the genocide accusation, filed by the ICC's prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo in July, was not included in the final decision, according to the court's statement.
(Xinhua News Agency March 5 ,2009)