Eritrean Presient to attend Sudan’s Bashir inaugration

May 23, 2010 (ASMARA) – Sudan has extended an invitation to the Eritrean President Isayas Afewerki to attend the inauguration of the Sudanese President Omer Hassan Al-Bashir who is elected last month in a first multiparty election since a military coup d’Etat that brought him to power in June 1989.

The invitation is delivered by Sudanese minister of Justice Abdel Basit Sabdarat who was received by President Afewerki in his office on Thursday 20 May, reported Shabait, the official website of the Eritrean ministry of information.

Bashir has invited Chad’s Idriss deby and Mauritania’s Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz to attend the inauguration ceremony. The Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, received a message from President Al- Bashir but it was not clear if it contained an invitation to attend the 27 May ceremony.

The Sudanese president, who is indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), won the election with 68% of the vote in the election presidential. The opposition accused the ruling National Congress Party of manipulating the election results.

“Governments that are committed to justice for atrocities committed in Darfur should not attend the inauguration of President Omer Al-Bashir of Sudan on May 27,” called the US-based Human Rights Watch in a statement issued this week.

Elise Keppler, International Justice Program senior counsel at Human Rights Watch, said: “Al-Beshir is a fugitive from justice who should be arrested, not feted.”

Attending his inauguration “would send a terrible message to victims in Darfur, and globally,” she further said.

(ST)