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Thousands demonstrated in support of Sudan's president in Khartoum, a day after the International Criminal Court approved an arrest warrant for Omar al-Bashir. President Bashir lashed² out at the court's efforts, calling them neo-colonialist.
　
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir waves his cane³ in front of thousands of supporters at the entrance of the presidential palace in Khartoum, 05 Mar¹ 2009

For the second day in a row, crowds in Sudan's capital Khartoum gathered to show their support for President Omar al-Bashir, shouting slogans and brandishing⁴ signs criticizing the International Criminal Court and its chief prosecutor⁵.

Dancing and waving his famous cane in front of the crowd, President Bashir railed against the court and its supporters, accusing them of trying to exploit Sudan and its resources. "We do not kneel to colonialism," he said. He said the government would combat any attempts to destabilize the country.

A journalist with Khartoum's Al-Akhbar newspaper, Maaz Alnugom, estimated the crowd at five- or six-thousand. He told VOA that small crowds had also tried to protest in front of the U.S. Embassy and other missions, but had been turned away by police. Security has been ratcheted up in the capital, particularly around western diplomatic missions.

Jimmy Kawanjara, a Kenyan shop owner in Khartoum, said the atmosphere was tense among foreigners, who have been told by their governments to stay inside. But he said the protests were peaceful.

"The demonstrations⁶ are very peaceful," said Kawanjara. "They have the government backing, so we are not expecting to see any violence with police fighting demonstrators."

Alnugom said most of the people at Thursday's rally were members of the president's National Congress Party.

"That does not mean those are the majority of the people in Sudan," he said. "We have many parties, we have government parties and anti-government people. Many people support the court, but nobody can declare this view."

Further protests are planned for the capital on Friday and President Bashir is expected to visit the Darfur region on Sunday.

Sudanese officials have said they will lead a diplomatic effort to suspend the ICC warrant. The African Union, which has opposed the warrant, was meeting in Addis Ababa on Thursday. And China's government called for the warrant to be withdrawn⁷.

The Sudan People's Liberation Movement, the former rebel group now in control of the semi-autonomous government of South Sudan, and a partner with Bashir's party in the national government, reaffirmed its support for the president. While there is little sympathy for the president in the south, many southern leaders fear that his removal could jeopardize⁸ the fragile peace agreement signed between the two sides in 2005.

The Umma party in the north also affirmed its opposition⁹ to the warrant, saying Darfur crimes should be tried within Sudan.

The warrant was greeted enthusiastically, however, by many in Darfur's refugee camps, and by Darfur rebel groups. The Justice and Equality Movement, the region's most powerful faction¹⁰, said it would not participate in further negotiations¹¹, saying the government is now illegitimate.

The Sudanese government also announced the expulsion of ten international aid agencies, including Oxfam, Save the Children, and International Rescue Committee, from Darfur, and there were reports that more groups could follow.

1 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

2 lashed   

adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥

参考例句：

• The rain lashed at the windows. 雨点猛烈地打在窗户上。
• The cleverly designed speech lashed the audience into a frenzy. 这篇精心设计的演说煽动听众使他们发狂。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 cane   

n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的

参考例句：

• This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
• English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。

4 brandishing   

v.挥舞( brandish的现在分词 )；炫耀

参考例句：

• The horseman came up to Robin Hood, brandishing his sword. 那个骑士挥舞着剑，来到罗宾汉面前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He appeared in the lounge brandishing a knife. 他挥舞着一把小刀，出现在休息室里。 来自辞典例句

5 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

6 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

7 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

8 jeopardize   

vt.危及，损害

参考例句：

• Overworking can jeopardize your health.工作过量可能会危及你的健康。
• If you are rude to the boss it may jeopardize your chances of success.如果你对上司无礼，那就可能断送你成功的机会。

9 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

10 faction   

n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争

参考例句：

• Faction and self-interest appear to be the norm.派系之争和自私自利看来非常普遍。
• I now understood clearly that I was caught between the king and the Bunam's faction.我现在完全明白自己已陷入困境，在国王与布纳姆集团之间左右为难。

11 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。