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                     Nigeria Defends Hosting Sudan's Bashir

   Rights groups are demanding that Nigeria arrest visiting Sudanese
   President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal
   Court for alleged war crimes.
   The Sudanese leader arrived late Sunday in Nigeria`s capital, Abuja, to
   attend an African Union summit focused on AIDS, tuberculosis and
   malaria.
   Human Rights Watch and a local group, the Nigerian Coalition for the
   ICC, say Nigeria is obligated to arrest Mr. Bashir because of its
   membership in the international court and the crimes he is accused of
   committing against civilians in Darfur.
   A Nigerian presidential spokesman has indicated that authorities will
   not arrest Mr. Bashir. The spokesman, Reuben Abati, said Mr. Bashir
   came at the invitation of the African Union -- which has supported Mr.
   Bashir`s refusal to surrender to the ICC or accept the court`s
   authority.
   The French news agency AFP quotes Abati as saying "Nigeria is not a
   position to determine who attends an AU event and who does not."
   A report by Sudan`s official news agency noted Mr. Bashir`s arrival in
   Nigeria but made no mention of the ICC controversy.
   The ICC has indicted Mr. Bashir on charges of war crimes, crimes
   against humanity and genocide in Sudan`s Darfur region. The court
   accuses him of orchestrating crimes including murder, rape and
   extermination against civilians in the region, where rebel groups have
   been fighting the Bashir government since 2003.
   Mr. Bashir has denied the charges and defied the ICC`s warrant for his
   arrest, but is careful to visit countries only that are not members of
   the ICC or have guaranteed his safety.
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   /1701814.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/nigeria-defends-hosting-sudans-bashir/1701814.html