Ban Ki-moon says ICC’s ruling on ruler must be implemented

The International Criminal Court's warrant for the arrest of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir must be implemented by countries who have signed up to the Hague court's statutes, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Monday.

"The International Criminal Court’s warrant for the arrest of President al-Bashir on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes is a matter I take extremely seriously," Ban Ki-moon said in Geneva.

South Africa's justice ministry said on Monday it will argue against a court application to force the government to arrest Bashir who has been indicted by the ICC.