FACTBOX: Bashir’s list of skipped events keeps growing since ICC warrant
March 22, 2010 (WASHINGTON) — On Monday the French government said that it had made it clear that the Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir is not welcome to attend the France-Africa summit held at the Riviera city of Nice.
Paris requested that Bashir send an envoy to represent him at the summit instead.
Originally planned in Egypt, the next Africa-France summit was finally moved to Nice on a joint decision of French president Nicolas Sarkozy and his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak to avoid the presence of Bashir, charged by the International Criminal Court (ICC) with war crimes against humanity in Darfur.
The ICC indicted Bashir last year on seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, but stopped short of including a charge of genocide. The United Nations says as many as 300,000 people have been killed since conflict erupted in Darfur in 2003, although Sudan rejects that figure.
Bashir is currently running for re-election against 11 other candidates at the polls scheduled for April 11th.
Many observers and political figures inside Sudan have began to publicly question the ability of Bashir to function as president given the outstanding warrant which has hampered his mobility abroad and restricting it to non-ICC members to avoid apprehension. They also cited economic implications.
This month, Mubarak al-Fadil head of the Umma Reform and Renewal Party have said that Sudan’s withdrawal from the amendments made to the Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP)-European Union (EU) Cotonou Partnership Agreement (CA) signed in 2005 was to avoid the stipulation of ratifying the ICC treaty.
The step put at risk Sudan’s access to the 300 million euro that comes with the agreement.
Also this week the head of the Islamic Wasat party in Sudan Yusuf Koda echoed Arman’s call saying Bashir resignation will bring great benefits to Sudan including avoiding international isolation and proposed that Bashir should be tried before hybrid courts.
Bashir has won the backing of the African Union (AU), Arab League and Organization of Islamic countries (OIC) in rejecting the warrant and demanding that the UN Security Council (UNSC) invoke Article 16 of the Rome Statute and freeze the indictment.
Despite the regional and international backing, Bashir has still stayed away from several events including in non-ICC member states over concerns that his plane might be intercepted or to avoid embarrassing the host states.
South African presidential inauguration: South Africa, an ICC state party, invited Bashir in May 2009 to attend the inauguration of President Jacob Zuma. However, South African officials made it clear that the indicted president would be arrested in compliance with the ICC arrest warrant. The 1st Vice President Salva Kiir was delegated to represent Sudan in the ceremony.
Global 2009 Smart Partnership Dialogue conference: Uganda, an ICC state party invited Bashir to attend the conference held in July 2009. Ugandan officials later said that they have legal obligations under the Rome Statute and privately urged Sudan to send another official to avoid “a diplomatic incident”.
2nd Africa-South America Summit: Venezuela, an ICC state party invited Bashir to the summit that took place in September 2009. Sudanese officials said that they will consider accepting the invitation after Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez vowed to protect Bashir from arrest. However, Sudanese 2nd Vice President Ali Osman Taha ended up going instead.
UN General Assembly: The United States, a non-ICC state party housing the United Nations (UN) headquarters held its annual General Assembly meetings in September 2009. Sudan at the time chaired the Group of 77 (G-77) coalition of developing countries and China. Sudan dispatched Sudanese presidential adviser Ghazi Salah Al-Deen Al-Attabani to lead its delegation to the UN General Assembly.
2009 OIC conference: In September 2009, Turkey, a non-ICC state party, invited Bashir to participate in the summit in his capacity as a head of state of a member of the Islamic bloc. In the days leading up the summit, Turkey came under intense pressure from the EU to drop the Sudanese president from the list of invitees. Bashir made a last minute decision to skip the conference after Turkish officials, aspiring to join the EU, privately urged the Sudanese to reconsider the visit.
Special Summit of Heads of State and Government on Refugees: In October 2009, Bashir stayed away from the summit held in Uganda and instead dispatched two junior ministers.
AU special summit on Darfur: : In October 2009, Nigeria, an ICC state party, invited Bashir to a special AU summit with 15 other heads of states to examine the recommendations drawn up by a high-level AU panel led by former South African president Thabo Mbeki. However, Bashir’s 2nd Vice President Ali Osman Taha ended up going instead.
25th France-Africa summit: In December 2009, France and Egypt agreed to move the summit from the Red Sea resort of Sharm Al-Sheik after the former insisted that Bashir not be invited. Cairo refused and as a result a new date and place was set for the summit next May in Nice. It was revealed today that French president Nicolas Sarkozy issued an invitation to Sudan while stressing that Bashir is not welcome to represent his country at the event.
IGAD special summit on CPA: In March 2010, Kenya, an ICC state party, hosted an extraordinary summit of Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) that was dedicated to discuss the implementation of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between North and South Sudan. Despite being invited Bashir sent 2nd Vice President Ali Osman Taha to represent him.
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Shuggar
FACTBOX: Bashir’s list of skipped events keeps growing since ICC warrant
Ha ha ha haaaaaaaaaaa?! He will continue to feel the heat. The question which lingers or arises in every Sudanese mind is: If re-elected, how will he carry out his duties as president of Sudan?
Presenance of head of staates in international summits is deemed important to boost the welfare of the nation.
Isolation of a president means isolation of a country.
Mr. president, it is now the time to pay the price for your inhumane and sin acts on the population of Sudan. You are not elegible to run for presidential election.
Aduol Liet
FACTBOX: Bashir’s list of skipped events keeps growing since ICC warrant
U.N. Body.
We Sudanese people have been determine the failure of the U.N. They did nothing to this Omar al Bashir while there was a warrant being proposed by the ICC Judges. Omar al Bashir killer is just fearing not to attened these several events but there is nothing can happen to him otherwise, the U.N. Would have already arrested him by all mean. I don’t see any reason why the U.N. And many others world’s supperpowers are skiptical for something well done by the ICC Judges. The ICC Judges also must add the genocide case because there are some evidence that could really provde it when Omar al Bashir himself had refused to obey the rule of the law in ICC. Omar al Bashir himself he is still dealing with civilians as usual for killing innocent people in Darfuri Region these are signs of which the ICC Judges should add the genocide case which they have left out in last year.
One of the Sudanese professor had said, early something very important and he is from the indictment killer party but he had indicated recently that, Omar al Bashir was not supposed to get nominate for re-election because his indictment make him very disqualified man to run for re-election again and he also said, a lots of things which Omar al Bashir himself could not deny those factors one. Inside Sudan, Omar al Bashir was been quote saying, there is real more than 10,000 Darfurian dies but here is my question, why he still sending troop in Darfuri Region to keep killing happen.? The answer is because he belief that, the U.N. Are not able for all these years to take action but only too much talks with nothing done about it and the Darfurian civilians have been attacked in the presence of the U.N. Troops in Jabel Marria or Mountaint Marria.
Part of U.N. Mission in the world. I think the U.N. Was been formed to stand up and protects these million innocents people around the worldwide including the Darfurian people, but we Sudanese people here are wondering what gose wrong to U.N. People why they don’t take action against Sudan government when the indictment already been proposed by the ICC Judges. I think U.N. Should have to accepts this embarrassment and will make them a shameful whenever, this case end people in around the world are sad when they see the Sudan government still killing civilians in present of U.N. Troops on the other hand also the indictment Omar al Bashir have been campaigning within Sudan and U.N. Troops within Sudan too. The question whether or not does U.N. Show a capabilities in Sudan’s case or weakness.? This question is remaind to be seen.