- The international court has urged the Ugandan authorities to arrest the indicted Sudanese President, Omar Al-Bashir if he comes to Kampala next week for the African Union meeting.
The International Criminal Court statement comes a day after President Yoweri Museveni said Uganda will not execute the international arrest warrant on President Al Bashir at the summit.
Uganda as a signatory to the Rome Statute, has a legal obligation to arrest the Sudanese president who is wanted by the International Court for allegedly masterminding widespread killings in Sudanese war torn Darfur region.
Uganda’s ICC country coordinator, Maria Kamara told local reports that the Court’s stand on the indictment of the Sudanese President has not changed.
However, she said that since not all African Union (AU) countries are signatories to the ICC statute, the responsibility of arresting president Al Bashir lies solely with ICC member countries.
Uganda has invited President Al Bashir to the AU summit in Kampala.
“No matter who will be indicted, all member countries to the Rome statute have the mandate to arrest that person and so the ball is in Uganda’s hands,” she told local reports.
The AU summit in Libya last July adopted a resolution to halt any cooperation of African states that are ICC states in arresting Bashir which would include Uganda.
The warrant for the arrest of President Al Bashir was based on allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity. He is suspected of being criminally responsible for attacks against civilians in Darfur.
An estimated 2.6 million Darfurians remain displaced from their homes and as many as 4.7 million people in total depend on humanitarian assistance, while sexual violence and banditry are also prevalent.
The UN said close to 300,000 people have been killed since fighting erupted in 2003, pitting rebels against government forces and allied Janjaweed militiamen.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
front page
| news
| countries
| archive
| currencies
| news alerts login
| about afrol News
| contact
| advertise
| español