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               ICC: South Africa Should Arrest Sudan's President

   by VOA News

   The International Criminal Court wants South Africa to arrest Sudanese
   President Omar al-Bashir who is in Johannesburg for an African Union
   summit.

   The ICC says Bashir has two outstanding arrest warrants.  He has been
   charged with war crimes and genocide for sending the army and backing
   Arab militias to put down an armed uprising in the Darfur conflict in
   2003.

   The United Nations says fighting in the impoverished region has killed
   300,000 people and created more than 2 million refugees. Most of the
   victims were civilians.

   ICC President Sidiki Kaba said in a statement South Africa, which "has
   always contributed to the strengthening of the Court," should "spare no
   effort in ensuring the execution of the arrest warrants."

   Analysts say while South Africa is a signatory of the Rome Statute that
   established the ICC and is obliged to arrest President Bashir, it is
   not likely the AU summit hosts will detain the Sudanese leader.  The AU
   has accused the ICC of unfairly targeting African leaders.

   Andrew Stroehlein, the European media director of Human Rights Watch
   said on Twitter Sunday "how many thousands of Africans can you kill
   before you're not welcome at (the) African Union summit?"

   Bashir was sworn in earlier this month for another five-year
   presidential term.

   He promised to fight corruption, improve the economy and bring
   relations with the West back to what he calls their "natural state."

   He also vowed to bring peace to three separate regions where armed
   groups are fighting to topple his government -- Blue Nile, Darfur and
   Kordofan.  The president repeated his offer of total amnesty to any
   armed rebel who joins peace talks.

   Bashir has ruled Sudan for 25 years.  The country has not only been
   battered by armed rebellion, but by international sanctions and the
   loss of oil revenue when South Sudan gained independence.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/icc-sudan/2821158.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/icc-sudan/2821158.html