Sudan describes Washington’s stance towards the ICC as “contradictory”
May 16, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Chargé d’affaires at Sudan’s embassy in Washington Muawaia Osman Khaled has described the stance of the US administration towards the International Criminal Court (ICC) as “shaky and contradictory”.
In his address, Museveni called the court “a bunch of useless people” and said he no longer supports it.
She said that the US also objected to the participation in the inauguration of the Sudanese president, Omar al-Bashir who has been charged by the court for atrocities in Darfur.
The Sudanese diplomat told the official news agency (SUNA) that Trudeau’s statements express a “shaky and contradictory American stance”.
“Despite the fact that the United States is not a party to the Rome Statute of the ICC, it continues to show respect for its European partners while ignoring the African countries” he said.
The US is not a member of the court but supports it and has called on other countries to live up to their commitments under the treaty that created it.
Khaled described Uganda’s decision to host President Bashir in Kampala as “courageous and honorable and consistent with the African [Union] stances towards the ICC”.
Several African governments and the African Union have voiced concerns over the ICC’s fairness, and accused it of targeting African leaders.
Uganda is a member of the ICC and as such was obligated to detain and turn over Bashir to the tribunal.
“The foundations of the ICC are cracking and its legitimacy would be compromised if the African countries, which the court was originally created for their sake, decided to pull out of it,” he added.
Bashir is under two International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants since 2008 for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed in Darfur.
The Sudanese president visited several African states members of the ICC but he was not arrested. However, the issue generated a large literature in the international law on Bashir’s immunity.
In statements to the official news agency, SUNA, after his return from Uganda, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Kamal al-Din Ismail said Bashir’s visit was “successful” and “produced the desired results”.
Ismail further asserted it has showed the weakness of the ICC in Africa, adding that Bashir had been accorded warn official and popular reception.
Established in 2002 to try war criminals and perpetrators of genocide never tried at home, the ICC has opened inquiries involving nine nations, including Kenya, Ivory Coast, Libya, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Uganda, Mali and, most recently, Georgia.