Sudanese president to travel to Indonesia on Saturday

March 4, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir Saturday will lead his country’s delegation to the 5th extraordinary Islamic Summit in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, said the official news agency

Bashir was indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2009 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Darfur conflict. As a result his overseas travel has been restricted to friendly nations ever since.

Indonesia is not an ICC member and is therefore not obliged to hand over Bashir to the court.

According to the official news agency SUNA, Bashir will lead Sudan’s delegation to the Islamic Summit dedicated to discuss recent developments in Palestine and holy Jerusalem under the title “united to achieve the just solution”.

Chargé d’affaires at Sudan’s embassy in Jakarta Tarig Abdallah al-Tom told SUNA that the summit is expected to approve two documents including the Jakarta Declaration and a resolution to take practical steps to support the Palestinian cause.

He added that the meeting of the presidents of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) nations would be preceded by a meeting of the foreign ministers to prepare the final documents for approval.

Last April, Bashir cancelled a planned visit to Indonesia to attend a meeting of the non-aligned movement.

At the time, government sources told Sudan Tribune on condition of anonymity that Bashir’s trip was scrapped after several countries denied permission for him to fly over their airspace en route to Jakarta.

The circumstances which surrounded the cancelled visit were similar to another one in 2011 when Bashir arrived in China a day late following a dramatic trip that saw his plane blocked from airspace of two countries, prompting him to return and adjust flight routes to avoid risk of arrest.

Also, the Sudanese leader cancelled a planned appearance in the South-East Asian nation of Malaysia in 2011 after controversy erupted there over his possible attendance.

Bashir refuses to recognise the international tribunal, and considers it “a colonial tool directed against his country and Africa”.

Last June, Bashir was forced to flee South Africa where he attended an African Union (AU) summit after a court ruled he should be banned from leaving pending the outcome of a hearing on his possible arrest.

(ST)