Country Becomes Third ICC Member to Receive Sudanese President

7 May 2011

Washington — The Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir arrived unexpectedly in Djibouti on Saturday to take part in the inauguration ceremony of Ismail Omar Guelleh that will start tomorrow, state media reported.

Djibouti is a signatory of the Rome Statute which founded the International Criminal Court (ICC) and is therefore theoretically obligated to apprehend Bashir who is wanted by the court for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur.

But Djibouti made it clear along with Comoros Island since the issuance of the arrest warrant against the Sudanese president that it will not execute the warrant despite being members of the court.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) condemned Djibouti’s decision to receive Bashir.

“Djibouti’s welcoming of Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir is an affront to victims of the horrific crimes committed in Darfur,” said Balkees Jarrah, international justice counsel with Human Rights Watch.

“As a state party to the International Criminal Court, Djibouti is obligated to arrest al-Bashir, who is charged with genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity by the court. Activists across the African continent have repeatedly called on their governments to support the ICC and arrest al-Bashir or at least bar him entry to their territories.”

The ICC has no police force and relies on state cooperation to enforce arrests. Despite this Bashir has had to cancel several regional and international appearances since the court order in 2009.

Sudan official news agency (SUNA) noted that several dignitaries will be present at the ceremony including Somali president, Yemeni Vice president and the French International Cooperation minister.

Kenya and Chad are the two countries from ICC members that have agreed to receive Bashir in the past. However, both nations later hesitated to allow him to visit at subsequent events held on its territories.

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