Bashir faces war crimes warrant

Sudan is waiting to hear whether the International Criminal Court (ICC) will issue an arrest warrant for its president Omar Bashir who has been accused of war crimes in Darfur.

The troubled region has endured six years of conflict that have seen 2.7m people displaced and more than a quarter-of-a-million die.

Tensions are high ahead of the decision. Sudanese officials have said that they will ignore the court's decision, but there are fears that there could be attacks on the joint African Union-UN peacekeeping force in the region in retaliation.

If the ICC does issue a warrant it will be the first time that a serving head of state has been indicted.

In July last year, prosecutors in The Hague called for the Sudanese leader to be arrested for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Conflict erupted in the region in 2003 between different ethnic groups and the Sudanese government has been accused of supporting Arab "self-defence militias" who have waged war on other, mainly black African, groups.