Hard road to peace after ICC indicts Bashir

The NCP’s room for political manoeuvre and its ability to engineer national cohesion against the court’s action are narrowing. The reality is that the majority of Sudanese are fed-up with the state of instability.

The time has come for a more robust engagement to help resolve the crisis.

Equally crucial is the need to ensure all the political forces are part of any plan to bring peace.

For such a plan to succeed there must be international consensus.

To continue the momentum towards peace, the Sudanese government must recommit itself to proper and full implementation of the CPA and find a sustainable settlement to the Darfur crisis.

An incentive for President Bashir and his party could be provided: the UN Security Council can delay the ICC prosecution for a year.

Fouad Hikmat is the Horn of Africa Project Director of the International Crisis Group. www.crisisgroup.org