Bashir not heading for SA

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. File picture: Siphiwe Sibeko

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. File picture: Siphiwe Sibeko

Published Nov 25, 2015

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Johannesburg – Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir will not be visiting South Africa next week to attend the summit of the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation (Focac).

The Sudanese embassy in Pretoria announced on Wednesday that Sudan’s first Vice President Bakri Hasan Saleh would instead lead the Sudanese delegation to the summit.

“It is worth mentioning that the Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed Al-Bashir is currently engaged in highly important domestic issues, including the following up of the national dialogue, as well as the Addis Ababa round of negotiation between the Sudan and the armed groups,” embassy spokesman Saif Ahmed said.

“Moreover, President Al-Bashir recently participated in three consecutive summits, including Beijing summit of the forum on China-Africa, India Africa Forum Summit and the Fourth Summit of Arab-South American countries which convened in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.”

Though Ahmed’s statement implied that Al-Bashir would not attend Focac because of other committments, official sources had said both the South African and Chinese governments had asked him not to come.

They did not want his presence to detract attention from the summit. In June Al-Bashir arrived in South Africa for the African Union summit which was overshadowed by the drama of the efforts by activists to have him arrested and sent to the International Criminal Court (ICC.)

The South African government let him leave, in defiance of a High Court order that he should be detained, pending a court decision on whether he should be arrested.

Al-Bashir is wanted by the ICC on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

African News Agency

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