Again, Bashir, Sudanese president slips ICC net

In spite of a court order barring him from leaving South Africa, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has returned to Khartoum from South Africa, avoiding arrest over war crimes charges on an international warrant.

Bashir was in Johannesburg, South Africa for an African Union (AU) summit.

An ICC official said the failure to arrest Mr Bashir on charges issued by the International Criminal Court was “disappointing”.

The Pretoria High Court issued an order for Mr Bashir’s arrest hours after his aircraft left the country.

A South African judge, Dunstan Mlambo, meanwhile said the failure to arrest Mr Bashir had violated the country’s constitution, even as Sudan described the attempt to arrest Bashir as “lame and meaningless”.

Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour told reporters at Khartoum airport that the court order was an attack on Sudanese sovereignty.

The Sudanese leader is accused of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide during the Darfur conflict.

The UN says that about 300,000 people in Sudan have died since fighting began in 2003. More than 1.4 million people are thought to have fled their homes.

Government forces and allied Arab militias are accused of targeting black African civilians in the fight against rebels.

It is unlikely that South Africa will face sanctions for allowing Mr Bashir to leave the country even after a court order barred him from doing so.

A number of African countries have in the past decided not to co-operate with the ICC. The court has been accused of racism and bias against African leaders.

Ripples… without borders, without fears

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now