Burundi president meets Sudan’s Bashir, calls ICC warrant ‘harmful’
March 20, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — The president Of Burundi Pierre Nkurunziza concluded a one day visit to Sudan where he met with embattled president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir.
The Burundian leader criticized the International Criminal Court (ICC) for issuing an arrest warrant against Bashir this month on seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, which include murder, rape and torture.
Nkurunziza is the first senior official from an ICC state member to meet Bashir following the issuance of the warrant.
“The decision is harmful and will not prevent Sudan from continuing the development process and achieving peace in Darfur” he said.
“The problems of the African continent must be solved in the internal framework” Nkurunziza added.
He noted the “big” role of the African Union (AU) to resolve conflicts in the region.
The AU has warned that the ICC indictment undermines peace efforts in Sudan and called on the UN Security Council (UNSC) to invoke Article 16 of the Rome Statute which allows the council to suspend the ICC prosecutions in any case for a period of 12 months that can be renewed indefinitely.
Burundi is one of the contributors to the African Union-United Nations peacekeeping force in Darfur.
UN experts estimate some 300,000 people have died and 2.5 million driven from their homes in Darfur. Sudan blames the Western media for exaggerating the conflict and puts the death toll at 10,000.
(ST)