[JURIST] An arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] on charges of genocide in Darfur could “derail” the peace process in Sudan according to a statement by Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Edmond Mulet on Wednesday. Reporting [press release; recorded video] to the UN Security Counsel [official website] on the status of the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) [text, PDF] in Sudan, Mulet said that while the overall security situation in Southern Sudan remains relatively calm, an ICC indictment “could have serious security and other implications,” including the targeting of UN peacekeepers, which he said some had described as an "uncontrolled reaction." The UN has a 9,200-strong peacekeeping force deployed in semi-autonomous southern Sudan to enforce the CPA as well as a joint UN-African Union force in Darfur now totaling about 11,500 troops. Mulet also expressed concern over statements by Sudanese government officials that UN staff thought to have cooperated with the ICC would be expelled. AP has more.

Last July, ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo [official profile; JURIST news archive] applied for an arrest warrant [application, PDF; JURIST report] for Bashir on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes for atrocities committed in the country’s Darfur region. On October 16, the ICC gave Moreno-Ocampo one month [JURIST report] to submit “additional supporting materials in relation to some confidential aspects” of his application. The Security Council continues to call on Sudan to comply with the ICC investigation, but Sudan has refused to do so, calling Moreno-Ocampo a "terrorist" [JURIST reports] and suggesting that he should be removed from office.