Indicted Sudanese Leader 'Omar al-Bashir' Arrives in Abuja
Sudan’s indicted leader Omar al-Bashir arrived Sunday in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, to a red-carpet welcome and a full guard of honour despite demands from human rights activists that Nigeria arrest him to face trial for genocide in Darfur.
Minister of Police Affairs Kenneth Olubolade was at the airport to meet the private presidential jet Sunday along with troops in ceremonial green and white uniforms and a military brass band.
“Nigeria has the shameful distinction of being the first West African country to welcome ICC fugitive Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir,” Human Rights Watch said in a statement.
It added that Nigeria’s welcome is “in stark contrast” to the stands taken by other African countries. Only Chad and Djibouti have received Mr. al-Bashir in the past year.
The African Union has urged its 53 member states not to co-operate with the ICC indictments against Mr. al-Bashir, saying they would hamper efforts to end Sudan’s multiple conflicts. Mr. al-Bashir rejects the ICC charges.
“The Sudanese president came for an AU event and the AU has taken a position on the ICC arrest order, so Nigeria has not taken action different from the AU stand,” said Nigerian presidential spokesman Reuben Abati.
But the Nigerian Coalition on the International Criminal Court said South Africa, Malawi, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, and the Central African Republic “have specifically made clear Bashir will be arrested on their territory, seen to it that other Sudanese officials visit instead of Bashir, relocated conferences or otherwise avoided his visits.”
A leader of the coalition, Chino Obiagwu, said the group is preparing to go to court Monday to demand Nigeria arrest Mr. al-Bashir. He says it is “Nigeria’s obligation” as a member of the European-based court.
The International Criminal Court in The Hague in 2009 indicted Mr. al-Bashir for genocide and war crimes committed in the Darfur conflict. He was the first sitting African head of state indicted by the court.
Mr. al-Bashir is in Nigeria ostensibly to attend an AU summit on health focusing on HIV and AIDS that is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday. The main African Union summit this month had to be moved to Ethiopia, which has not signed the ICC statute, after Malawi, heavily dependent on Western aid, refused to host Mr. al-Bashir.
Over the weekend, violence again exploded in Darfur when seven Tanzanian peacekeepers were killed in an ambush that also wounded 17 others. The assault by a large group of gunmen included sustained heavy fire from machine-guns and possibly rocket-propelled grenades, targeting the force some 25 kilometres west of the town of Khor Abeche, United Nations forces spokesman Chris Cycmanick said Saturday.
Darfur has been gripped by bloodshed since 2003 when rebels took up arms against the government in Khartoum. More than 300,000 people have been killed in the conflict and the UN said about 300,000 people have fled fighting throughout Darfur in the first five months of this year.
Minister of Police Affairs Kenneth Olubolade was at the airport to meet the private presidential jet Sunday along with troops in ceremonial green and white uniforms and a military brass band.
“Nigeria has the shameful distinction of being the first West African country to welcome ICC fugitive Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir,” Human Rights Watch said in a statement.
It added that Nigeria’s welcome is “in stark contrast” to the stands taken by other African countries. Only Chad and Djibouti have received Mr. al-Bashir in the past year.
The African Union has urged its 53 member states not to co-operate with the ICC indictments against Mr. al-Bashir, saying they would hamper efforts to end Sudan’s multiple conflicts. Mr. al-Bashir rejects the ICC charges.
“The Sudanese president came for an AU event and the AU has taken a position on the ICC arrest order, so Nigeria has not taken action different from the AU stand,” said Nigerian presidential spokesman Reuben Abati.
But the Nigerian Coalition on the International Criminal Court said South Africa, Malawi, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, and the Central African Republic “have specifically made clear Bashir will be arrested on their territory, seen to it that other Sudanese officials visit instead of Bashir, relocated conferences or otherwise avoided his visits.”
A leader of the coalition, Chino Obiagwu, said the group is preparing to go to court Monday to demand Nigeria arrest Mr. al-Bashir. He says it is “Nigeria’s obligation” as a member of the European-based court.
The International Criminal Court in The Hague in 2009 indicted Mr. al-Bashir for genocide and war crimes committed in the Darfur conflict. He was the first sitting African head of state indicted by the court.
Mr. al-Bashir is in Nigeria ostensibly to attend an AU summit on health focusing on HIV and AIDS that is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday. The main African Union summit this month had to be moved to Ethiopia, which has not signed the ICC statute, after Malawi, heavily dependent on Western aid, refused to host Mr. al-Bashir.
Over the weekend, violence again exploded in Darfur when seven Tanzanian peacekeepers were killed in an ambush that also wounded 17 others. The assault by a large group of gunmen included sustained heavy fire from machine-guns and possibly rocket-propelled grenades, targeting the force some 25 kilometres west of the town of Khor Abeche, United Nations forces spokesman Chris Cycmanick said Saturday.
Darfur has been gripped by bloodshed since 2003 when rebels took up arms against the government in Khartoum. More than 300,000 people have been killed in the conflict and the UN said about 300,000 people have fled fighting throughout Darfur in the first five months of this year.
Indicted Sudanese Leader 'Omar al-Bashir' Arrives in Abuja
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