Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir Saturday condemned the International Criminal Court for ordering the arrest of his defense minister.

Mr. Bashir addressed the crowd during a rally in Khartoum, accusing the ICC of trying to undermine a symbol of the country's armed forces. He then said he and his minister would defend the dignity and pride of Sudan.

The ICC issued the warrant for Defense Minister Abdel Raheem Muhammed Hussein Thursday for his alleged crimes in the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region.

The court said Hussein is wanted on 41 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, rape, torture, pillaging and attacks against civilians.

Sudanese officials dismissed the warrant, saying they did not plan to hand over Hussein. Sudan does not recognize the ICC and has previously dismissed the prosecutors' charges against Hussein as politically motivated.

ICC prosecutors accuse Hussein of coordinating air and ground attacks against villages in Darfur between August 2003 and March 2004.

The ICC says Sudanese government forces and allied militia deliberately targeted members of the ethnic Fur group. It says the plan for the attacks was formulated at the highest levels of Sudan's government and that Hussein, who was minister of the interior at the time, made “essential contributions.”

Three other Sudanese officials are wanted by the ICC for alleged crimes in Darfur, including Mr. Bashir.

Mr. Bashir has flouted the ICC arrest warrant by continuing to travel abroad, though only to countries that are not signatories to the ICC, or where authorities are unlikely to arrest him.

Darfur rebels launched their uprising against Sudan's central government in 2003, accusing Khartoum of neglecting their region. The United Nations estimates the conflict has killed some 300,000 people and displaced more than 2.5 million.

Low-level fighting continues to this day, mostly between the government and the rebel Justice and Equality Movement.