UN increases security for Khartoum ICC protest

Khartoum: The United Nations urged hundreds of staff to stay at home on Tuesday as crowds of Sudanese protested against war crimes charges against their president.

The International Criminal Court's prosecutor on Monday sought an arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan Al Bashir for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Protests since Sunday have been staged by pro-government bodies but even Sudanese who traditionally oppose Bashir have backed him against The Hague-based ICC.

Thousands of protesters gathered outside UN offices and handed a memo to the United Nations calling on it to stop the arrest warrant.

UN security officials had earlier told non-essential staff to stay at home ahead of the protests.

The joint UN-African Union peacekeeping mission said it would relocate 200 non-essential staff on Tuesday primarily to Uganda or Ethiopia.