South Africa must arrest Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir
Publisher | Amnesty International |
Publication Date | 14 June 2015 |
Cite as | Amnesty International, South Africa must arrest Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, 14 June 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/557fd9f34.html [accessed 4 June 2023] |
Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
South Africa must immediately arrest Sudanese president Omar Al-Bashir and hand him over to the International Criminal Court (ICC), Amnesty International has said today.
Omar Al-Bashir, who is on the wanted list of the court, is reportedly on his way to South Africa to attend the 25th AU Summit currently underway in Johannesburg.
Al-Bashir is a fugitive from justice. If the government of President Zuma fails to arrest him, it would have done nothing, save to give succour to a leader who is accused of being complicit in the killing, maiming, torture of hundreds of thousands of people in a conflict that has blighted the lives of millions and destroyed the hopes and aspirations of an entire generation
Netsanet Belay, Amnesty International's Research and Advocacy Director for Africa
In 2009, the ICC issued a warrant of arrest against al-Bashir. He is accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in the conflict in Darfur, Sudan, which has claimed more than 400 thousand lives and displaced more than two million others.
The conflict continues to claim more lives. As a signatory to the Rome Statute and a key country in Africa, South Africa must display resolve and arrest Al-Bashir and transfer him to the ICC.
"As soon as he lands in South Africa, the authorities must arrest Al-Bashir and ensure that he is transferred to the International Criminal Court" said Netsanet Belay.