Al-Bashir heads Sudan delegation for AU Summit in Addis Ababa
January 26, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir will head his country’s delegation to the 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 28 to 29 January.
Sudan’s delegation to the Summit would include the Minister of Presidential Affairs, Fadl Abdallah, Minister of Water Resources Irrigation and Electricity, Mutaz Musa, Minister of Commerce Hatim Al-Sir, Minister of Social Security, Masha’ir Al-Dawalab, Director of the National Intelligence and Security Services Mohamed Atta and State Minister for the Presidency, Director General of President’s Offices, Hatim Hassan Bakhit.
The theme of this AU Summit is: “Winning the Fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation”.
The Summit is expected to deliberate on a number of issues, including institutional reforms of the AU, continental free trade and the state of peace and security on the continent.
The International Criminal Court (ICC0 issued two arrest warrants against al-Bashir in 2009 and 2010 for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed in Darfur. He is the first sitting head of state charged by the Hague-based court since its inception in 2002.
Sudan, which is not a state member of Rome Statute of the ICC, has been campaigning for an African withdrawal from the court.
The AU constantly accuses the ICC of disproportionately targeting Africans. Several countries including Kenya, Sudan, Eritrea, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Libya have called for en mass withdrawal of African nations from the court.
But the court also has supporters in Africa. At an AU Summit meeting in July 2016, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia were among the countries that opposed a Kenyan-led drive for a group walkout from the tribunal.
(ST)