Sudanese President Flees South Africa to Avoid Arrest
Sudan President Omar al-Bashir reportedly escaped South Africa in his private jet early this morning, just hours after a judge from the country’s High Court ordered authorities to prevent his leaving. Bashir has been wanted by the International Criminal Court for six years on charges including genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
[South Africa’s High Court] on Sunday issued an order calling for the authorities to prevent Mr. Bashir from leaving the country because of the charges against him at the international criminal court. A ruling was expected Monday over whether the government was required to arrest him and hand him over.
The case has pitted the International Criminal Court against the South African government, which had argued that heads of state had immunity while attending the African Union meeting. It is also being watched a test of the reach of the criminal court, which lacks a police force to enforce its rulings and must rely on diplomatic pressure and the cooperation of nations to ensure that its rulings or indictments are enforced.
This afternoon’s scheduled hearing has apparently now been downgraded to an interesting thought exercise, as Sudanese authorities have confirmed to Reuters that Bashir was onboard a private flight that left Pretoria for the Sundanese capital of Khartoum this morning.
The ICC has accused Bashir’s government and Arab militias of attacking black Africans in their battle against rebels, leading to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of citizens—and the displacement of millions more—since 2003.
South Africa, who hosted Bashir and other leaders at the African Union summit meeting this weekend in Sandton, South Africa, probably won’t be punished for allowing Bashir to escape. From the BBC:
It is unlikely that South Africa will face sanctions for allowing Mr Bashir to leave the country even after a court order barred him from doing so, says the BBC’s Nomsa Maseko in Pretoria.
A number of African countries have in the past decided not to co-operate with the ICC. The court has been accused of racism and bias against African leaders.
