Bashir genocide charges:

African nations divided

UGANDA: African countries are divided about whether they should arrest Sudanese President Omar Hassanal-Bashir on suspicion of genocide, diplomats at a summit told Reuters Sunday.

Bashir was indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes in Darfur last year. This month the court added genocide to the charges, accusing him of orchestrating murders, rapes, and torture in the troubled western region.

A draft of a resolution to be passed at the African Union (AU) meeting in Ugandan capital Kampala, seen by Reuters on Saturday, contained two contentious clauses that have triggered horse-trading behind the scenes at the event. But both paragraphs were removed after arguments that went on until 3 a.m. on Sunday, AU and Western diplomats said. The first clause advised African countries not to arrest Bashir if he visited their nations — even if they had signed up to the ICC as 30 African countries have. “(The AU) reiterates its decision that AU member states shall not cooperate with the ICC in the arrest and surrender of President Bashir,” the paragraph said.

The second deleted clause attacked prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo. “The latest draft resolution also “rejects for the moment” a request by the ICC to open an “Africa liaison office” in Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, diplomats said.

Some African leaders say the court is obsessed with prosecuting Africans and ignores war criminals on other continents.

AU Commission Chairman Jean Ping has said the decision to prosecute Bashir has undermined peace efforts in Sudan.

Kampala, Monday, Reuters