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Sudan’s President Could be Arrested for War Crimes After Court Blocks Him From Leaving South Africa

A South African judge barred Omar al-Bashir from leaving the country due to arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court over alleged war crimes in Darfur.
Photo par Ahmed Yorsi/EPA

A South African judge has issued an interim order that bans Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir from leaving South Africa due to arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued in 2009 over alleged war crimes in Darfur.

The court order was issued after al-Bashir arrived in South Africa to attend an African Union summit. Members of the South African Litigation Centre said on Twitter today that the initial order was issued to keep al-Bashir from passing through any port of exit, and was extended to Monday morning.

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Al-Bashir is wanted on two warrants by the Netherlands-based ICC, which asked member state South Africa to arrest the Sudanese leader. The charges against al-Bashir are related to alleged atrocities committed in the Darfur conflict, where at least 300,000 people were killed and 2 million displaced, according the United Nations.

Related: Sudanese Soldiers Reportedly Raped Hundreds of Women Over Three Days in Darfur

Sidiki Kaba, president of the Assembly of States to the Rome Statute of the ICC, said in a statement yesterday that he "calls on South Africa, which has always contributed to the strengthening of the Court, to spare no effort in ensuring the execution of the arrest warrants."

In spite of the court order, al-Bashir was seen Sunday morning posing with other leaders during a summit meeting photo-op.

The ICC cannot compel member states to make arrests, but it can remind them that they have a legal obligation to comply. Members of South Africa's ruling party, the African National Congress, said al-Bashir was given immunity to enter the country for the summit.

"It is on this basis, amongst others, that the ANC calls upon government to challenge the order now being brought to compel the South African government to detain President al-Bashir," the ANC said, according to the Associated Press.

Al-Bashir seized power in 1989 when members of the Sudanese army ousted the democratically elected government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi. He has won re-election thee times since the coup, though the results have been disputed. He was the first sitting president to be indicted by the ICC.

Follow Gillian Mohney on Twitter: @gillianmohney

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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