Uganda invites Sudanese president to AU summit

October 14, 2009 (WASHINGTON) — The Ugandan government disclosed today that it has invited Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir to Kampala for a special African Union (AU) summit on refugees to be held next week.

The AU said in a press release that it will be holding a Special Summit of Heads of State and Government on Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons in Africa in which it is expected to adopt the African Convention on the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa, the first ever such Convention in the world.

The Kampala based New Vision news portal quoted Ugandan president Yoweri Musievini as telling reporters that Bashir was invited in his capacity as an African head of state.

Technically, Uganda has a legal obligation to arrest the Sudanese president who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) accusing him of masterminding widespread killings in Darfur.

The AU summit in Libya last July has adopted a resolution to halt any cooperation of African states that are ICC states in arresting Bashir which would include Uganda.

However, few weeks after the summit wrapped up Kampala asked Khartoum to dispatch another official to attend the Global 2009 Smart Partnership Dialogue conference for which he was invited.

Ugandan officials at the time gave conflicting positions on whether they would arrest Bashir but observers have said it was “well calculated’ on the part of Kampala.

However, Khartoum was angered by the incident and demanded that the Ugandan official who blew the first whistle on arresting Bashir be sacked.

Musievini suggested to reporters that Bashir will be safe from arrest in the events he accepts the invitation noting that he called on Darfur warring parties in the past to convene in his country for talks.

“The hub means a neutral zone in which we give safe conduit to the belligerents to meet and talk. We cannot turn around and say ‘you are wanted by the ICC’ and we grab you,” he said.

He reaffirmed his position that his government is awaiting the disclosure of a report by the AU Panel on Darfur (AUPD) later this month for a position on the status of Bashir.

The panel was formed by the pan-African body to look into ways to balance peace and accountability in Darfur. However, it is not conducting a criminal investigation in the region.

“Our position in the African security committee was that let us not condemn or condone Bashir” Musievini said.

“We said let us do our own investigations. That’s how former South African President Thabo Mbeki [chair of AUPD] was invited to do further research to enable us take our own position,” he added.

Musievini’s vague statements on the ICC warrant reflects the dilemma his government is in. On the one hand Uganda has a case at the Hague tribunal relating to the Lord Resistance Army (LRA) who are wanted by the court and ignoring Bashir’s warrant would reflect badly on asking neighboring countries to apprehend the notorious leaders of the insurgency.

Moreover, Uganda is currently a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC).

Sudan state media made no mention of the invitation or any plans by Bashir to visit Uganda.

(ST)