Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court are appealing the court's decision not to charge Sudan's president, Omar al-Bashir, with carrying out genocide in Darfur.
The prosecutors said Tuesday they have evidence showing Mr. Bashir mobilized his entire government to destroy a substantial part of three Darfur ethnic groups (Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa) over a six-year period.
The prosecutors say they believe the evidence provides "reasonable grounds" for judges at The Hague-based tribunal to charge Sudan's president with three counts of genocide.
The ICC already has charged Mr. Bashir with war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, where his government has been fighting rebels since 2003.
The court said President Bashir organized a campaign of rape, murder and other crimes against civilians in Darfur, but said there was insufficient evidence to charge him with genocide.
The court issued an arrest warrant against Mr. Bashir in March. The Sudanese leader has defied the court by traveling outside Sudan several times without being arrested.
African Union leaders meeting in Libya last Friday approved a resolution vowing not to cooperate with the ICC's arrest warrant.
The African Union has called for the ICC to delay any arrest of Mr. Bashir, saying it would compromise peace efforts in Darfur.
Some African governments also complain the ICC is targeting African leaders for prosecution disproportionately compared to the rest of the world.
The United Nations estimates the fighting in Darfur has killed up to 300,00 people and displaced 2.7 million others since 2003. Mr. Bashir's government says 10,000 people have died in the conflict.
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