Sudan’s al-Bashir will not attend Arab-EU meeting

January 5, 2019 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan President Omer al-Bashir will not attend the European Union-Arab League summit that will be held in Egypt during last week of February 2019.

Al-Bashir participation in regional or international meetings has been a source of controversy since the arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court for his arrest in March 2009 and July 2010 for genocide and war crimes in Darfur region.

Despite the African Union and Arab League support, officials around the world including ones from the EU avoid appearing with the Sudanese president after the warrants.

Also, independent justice in South Africa sought to arrest him in June 2015 when he arrived to participate in an African Union summit, forcing his precipitated departure from Johannesburg.

As the European and Arab leaders are set to meet in Egypt on 24 February, Al-Arabiya TV Channel reported from Brussels on Monday that the “European Union have received assurance” from the host country that al-Bashir will not attend the meeting.

The satellite channel reported the news during its coverage of a meeting between an Arab League delegation led by Sudanese foreign minister with European Union Commissioner for Foreign Affairs, Frederica Mujerini over the ongoing preparations for the summit which will be held in Egypt.

El-Dirdeiry called in his speech for support to the joint efforts between Europe and Arab countries to combat terrorism, irregular migration and face common challenges.

The bloody repression and killing of peaceful protests in December and January 2019 were strongly criticized by the European Union Council and Parliament.

The first summit between the Arab and EU leaders is part of the European efforts to curb illegal migrants’ smuggling.

In November 2017, al-Bashir had to skip the African Union – European Union summit took in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

(ST)