SUDAN LEAKS: ICC Signatory Countries Boycotted AU Meeting, Frustrating Pullout!
The Sudan, whose strongman Omar Al Bashir was the first sitting Head of State to be indicted by the International Criminal Court has reprimanded African countries signatory to the Rome Statute which anchored the ICC for boycotting the latest AU meeting which was meant to set stage for mass pullout from the Hague.
Sudan’s frustration comes on the wake of a futile AU resolution that African heads of States currently charged by crimes against humanity be allowed to serve their full terms answering charges at the court, a face saving move considering how handlers of the indicted suspects, including Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta had earlier revealed that the AU was to adopt a hardline stance on the ICC with full severing of links with the court.
However, the shifting geopolitics in Africa, where some countries seem to be positioning themselves for the spoils, informed the last minute change of tune, making signatories to boycott en masse Kenya’s and Sudan’s request to pull out of the world court of justice.
During the meeting, it was realised that majority of the 34 member signatories were ‘non-comital’ on the issue of the ICC, with other countries secretly dismissing the move.
Botswana was the only African country to openly dismiss any calls for non-cooperation. The Southern African country is said to have dispatched a high level team of diplomatic lobbyists to talk other countries out of pulling from the Hague based institution, reminding them that ‘in a global world, a threat to justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere’.
In South Africa, respected prelate Desmond Tutu jeered at the idea of non-cooperation, saying African leaders are only looking for a licence to ‘kill and maim’ their ‘faceless, voiceless citizens.
In Africa, Rome signatories include:
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​​Source: The ICC Website.