Human rights activists have on Monday urged government to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir who arrived in the country for a two-day State Visit, at the invitation of President Yoweri Museveni.
The Sudanese leader is the subject of two International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants, issued in 2009 and 2010 over his alleged role in Sudan’s brutal counterinsurgency campaign in Darfur.
Speaking to journalists at the Ntinda-based offices of Human Rights Network Uganda (HURINET-U), Mr Mohammed Ndifuna, the executive director of HURINET-U said that President Bashir should be comprehended “following the alleged killings he orchestrated.”
“We need to arrest this man as directed by ICC,” Mr Ndifuna said. “We have a chance today even if we failed in May last year. He has become a social distress. When people see us with him, they will think we don’t care about those he killed,”
In May 2016, US, European and Canadian diplomats left abruptly when Mr Museveni made disparaging comments about the International Criminal Court (ICC) during the presidential swearing-in ceremony. This event had been graced by President Omar al-Bashir.
Correspondents said that states in theory have a legal duty to arrest ICC suspects on their territory. President Omar al-Bashir faces charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
He arrived at Entebbe airport, accompanied by other senior Sudanese officials so as to engage Mr Museveni on how to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.
“They agreed to cooperate more in the fields of trade, foreign affairs and regional security. Uganda will export more tea and coffee to Sudan. A joint ministerial team will follow up to actualize this,” an evening statement from the State House reveals.
aaron@ugchristiannews.com
