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Sudan summons EU envoy over criticism of African countries hosting Al-Bashir

apr-news-Sudanese-President-Omar-Al-Bashir
Thursday, 12 July 2018

Sudan summons EU envoy over criticism of African countries hosting Al-Bashir

APRNEWS - Sudan has summoned the European Union (EU) envoy in Khartoum in protest against a statement criticising African countries for failing to arrest and surrender Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The EU on Monday expressed regret that Djibouti and Uganda, both state parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC, hosted Al-Bashir bewteen July 5 to July 7.

The president of the Republic performs his sovereign duties… as is dictated by his constitutional duties and the international law,” Undersecretary of Foreign Ministry Abdul-Ghani Al-Naeem said in a statement by the ministry.

He noted that Sudan did not accept that it was involved in or subjected to any procedure or action based on the Rome Statute establishing the ICC as the country is not a signatory of this statue.

The undersecretary added that the ICC had politicised the issue and targeted African leaders only.

He said the EU ambassador promised to convey Sudan’s message to the European Commission.

He expressed appreciation of Sudan’s current efforts to facilitate and host peace talks between South Sudan’s rivals, as well as the cooperation between Sudan and the EU in all fields.

NAN reports that in July 2008, then prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Luis Ocampo, accused Al-Bashir of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in Darfur.

The court issued an arrest warrant for al-Bashir on March 4, 2009 on counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, but ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him for genocide.

However, on July 12, 2010, the Court issued a second warrant containing three separate counts of genocide.

The new warrant, as was the first, was delivered to the Sudanese government, which did not recognize it nor
the ICC.

The indictments do not allege that Bashir personally took part in such activities; instead, they say that he is “suspected of being criminally responsible, as an indirect co-perpetrator”.

Some international experts think it is unlikely that Ocampo has enough evidence to prove the allegations.

The court’s decision is opposed by the African Union, League of Arab States, Non-Aligned Movement, and the governments of Russia and China.

By NAN