Wanted man Bashir expels aid agencies from Darfur

Sudan's president Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by an international court on war crimes charges, today danced and waved a cane defiantly in front of thousands of supporters.

Appearing at a rally outside his Republican Palace in the capital Khartoum, Bashir denounced the tribunal, the United Nations and aid agencies as part of a new "colonialism" that aims to destabilise Sudan.

His government has ordered 10 aid agencies to leave the Darfur region in retaliation for the International Criminal Court's decision to issue an arrest warrant yesterday. The agencies were starting to move out today.

Aid workers warned that the expulsion order could spark a humanitarian crisis for up to two million people in Darfur who receive food, shelter and medical supplies from the 10 agencies.

At least 2.7 million people in the large, arid region of western Sudan have been driven from their homes in the war between Darfur rebels and the government since 2003 and many more depend on international aid to survive.

The aid groups, which include Oxfam and Save the Children, protested that they had nothing to do with the Netherlands-based court's decision.

Bashir is accused of overseeing an anti-insurgency campaign in Darfur in which atrocities were carried out against civilians. At least 300,000 people have died in fighting in the region.