Sudanese president to fly to India on Tuesday
October 20, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bahsir on Tuesday will lead his country’s delegation to participate in the third India-Africa summit which will be held in New Delhi from 26 to October 29, October.
More than 50 African head of states are expected to take part in the convention scheduled for late October which is aimed at strengthening economic relations between the Indian sub-continent and African countries.
Last Month, Bashir received an official invitation from the Indian government to attend the meeting.
Bashir’s accompanying delegation to the summit includes the acting minister for presidential affairs besides the foreign and finance ministers.
The Sudanese president is expected to hold talks with the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, on the sidelines of the summit to discuss the future of the bilateral relations between the two countries.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) however called on the Indian government to not welcome the Sudanese president saying that the International Criminal Court is still seeking his arrest.
“Many countries have avoided a visit from al-Bashir, and India should do the same,” said Elise Keppler, associate international justice director at Human Rights Watch. “India has said that it wants to play a leadership role on global issues, and this is an opportunity to be on the right side of history.”
Also , Stella Ndirangu, program manager at the International Commission of Jurists-Kenya. said “India should support the hundreds of thousands who have endured serious abuses in Darfur” adding that “India should bar al-Bashir’s entry and assist in his arrest.”
India is not a state party to the International Criminal Court (ICC) which has an outstanding arrest warrant for Bashir for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide allegedly committed in Darfur since 2003.
The India-Africa summit is expected to be attended by nearly 1,000 delegates, including heads of state, ministers, government officials, business leaders and others.
The summit was originally scheduled for December 2014, but was postponed due to the Ebola scare.
(ST)