July 12, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir will
travel to Rwanda on Saturday to attend the African Union summit in
Kigali, Sudan Tribune learnt.
Sudan’s President Omer Hassan al-Bashir, left, is welcomed by Indian foreign minister Vijay Kumar Singh as he arrives for the India Africa Forum Summit in New Delhi, October 28, 2015. (Photo AP/Saurabh Das)
The 27th African Union Summit will take place in the Rwandan capital Kigali from the 10th to the 18th of July 2016.
Al-Bashir attended the African Union summit in South Africa in June 2015 although South Africa is a member to the International Criminal Court (ICC). A local court ordered to prevent him form leaving the country, but Johannesburg government facilitated his return to Sudan.
In May of this year al-Bashir visited Uganda and Djibouti, which are ICC state members of Rome Statute.
As a host-country of the African summit, the Rwandan President Paul Kagame has announced that his country will not arrest President al-Bashir during his coming visit to participate in the African Union summit.
“President al-Bashir is welcomed in Kigali at any time. He will be free in his second home country. We will not respond to the ICC calls to arrest him. We will not take any action of such type against him”, Kagame said.
Rwanda is not a state party to the tribunal of war crimes but has the obligation as a member of the United Nations to cooperate with the court. However like many other African capitals, Kigali is critical to ICC and to its focus on Africa.
In April 2007, the judges at the Hague-based tribunal issued an arrest
warrant for President al-Bashir, and for the governor of North Kordofan state Ahmed Haroun, who at the time served as state minister interior.
Sudan's Bashir to attend African Union Summit in Rwanda - Sudan Tribune: Plural news and views on Sudan
travel to Rwanda on Saturday to attend the African Union summit in
Kigali, Sudan Tribune learnt.
Sudan’s President Omer Hassan al-Bashir, left, is welcomed by Indian foreign minister Vijay Kumar Singh as he arrives for the India Africa Forum Summit in New Delhi, October 28, 2015. (Photo AP/Saurabh Das)
The 27th African Union Summit will take place in the Rwandan capital Kigali from the 10th to the 18th of July 2016.
Al-Bashir attended the African Union summit in South Africa in June 2015 although South Africa is a member to the International Criminal Court (ICC). A local court ordered to prevent him form leaving the country, but Johannesburg government facilitated his return to Sudan.
In May of this year al-Bashir visited Uganda and Djibouti, which are ICC state members of Rome Statute.
As a host-country of the African summit, the Rwandan President Paul Kagame has announced that his country will not arrest President al-Bashir during his coming visit to participate in the African Union summit.
“President al-Bashir is welcomed in Kigali at any time. He will be free in his second home country. We will not respond to the ICC calls to arrest him. We will not take any action of such type against him”, Kagame said.
Rwanda is not a state party to the tribunal of war crimes but has the obligation as a member of the United Nations to cooperate with the court. However like many other African capitals, Kigali is critical to ICC and to its focus on Africa.
In April 2007, the judges at the Hague-based tribunal issued an arrest
warrant for President al-Bashir, and for the governor of North Kordofan state Ahmed Haroun, who at the time served as state minister interior.
Sudan's Bashir to attend African Union Summit in Rwanda - Sudan Tribune: Plural news and views on Sudan
