Sudan embassy official laughs off Bashir arrest call

The official who briefly responded to Daily Trust enquiries on the uproar generated by Al Bashir’s visit to Nigeria simply said, “e no go possible”, and laughed loudly.  But rights activists in Nigeria said they would go to court to force the arrest of the Sudanese president who is likely to wrap up his visit […]

The official who briefly responded to Daily Trust enquiries on the uproar generated by Al Bashir’s visit to Nigeria simply said, “e no go possible”, and laughed loudly.  But rights activists in Nigeria said they would go to court to force the arrest of the Sudanese president who is likely to wrap up his visit today at the end of the summit.
Already, the Nigerian government through presidential spokesman Reuben Abati has ruled out any possibility of arresting Bashir, saying his visit is not bilateral.
“Al-Bashir is here to participate in an AU summit, and Nigeria is not in a position to determine who attends an AU event and who does not attend an AU event… Nigeria is just providing the platform for the meeting”, he said yesterday.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2009 and 2010 issued two warrants against Bashir over the conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region on allegations of crimes against humanity and genocide.
Activists say Nigeria’s membership of the ICC makes it a legal obligation for her to arrest suspects wanted by the court, though the African Union does not support the ICC move. Since the warrant was issued, Al Bashir has visited Chad, Djibouti and Kenya, but South Africa and Botswana turned him back.