Gaborone — Botswana has said that it does not agree with the African Union (AU) decision to denounce the International Criminal Court (ICC) and to refuse to extradite Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to stand trial for genocide.
The ICC has issued an arrest warrant for Al-Bashir over genocide in the strife-torn Sudanese region of Darfur but the AU has snubbed the court on the matter.
"The government of Botswana does not agree with this (AU) decision and wishes to reaffirm its position that as a State Party to the Rome Statute on the International Criminal Court (ICC) it has treaty obligations to fully cooperate with the ICC in the arrest and transfer of the President of Sudan to the ICC," a statement from the Botswana Foreign Affairs Ministry said on Sunday.
The statement said the ICC was established specifically to help end impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community by prosecuting those suspected of committing genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
"The people of Africa and Sudan in particular have been victims of these crimes. Botswana strongly holds the view that the people of Africa, including the people of Sudan, deserve to be protected from the perpetrators of such crimes. This is why a majority of African countries, numbering thirty (30) are State Parties to the Rome Statute," the statement added.
Even before the AU made its decision, Botswana President Ian Khama has previously indicated that when he gets the opportunity, he would arrest Al-Bashir and hand him over to the ICC. Khama said he will arrest Al-Bashir during a visit by Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete early this year.
Botswana vice-president, Lt-Gen. Mompati Merafhe and Foreign Minister Mr. Phandu Skelemani are expected to hold a press in Gaborone today (Monday 6, July 2009) on the AU decision to rebuff the ICC. Lt-Gen Merafhe and Mr Skelemani attended the AU summit in Sirte Libya.
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Good decision Botswana. Africa leaders like double standards. When its the young D.J. they criticise. When its Mugabe or Bashir, they applaud and give excuses. With Botswana there is always consistency whether its Mugabe, the young D.J. or Bashir. May be one day these guys will see where Botswana is comming from. I know that some will argue that its imperialism, the West and so forth. What people should note is that Sudaneese who were killed are Africans and were killed by Africans. NOT KILLED BY AMERICA OR BRITAIN.
Moks, I noticed that in your vengency for Sudanese President Al-Bashire and President Mugabe, you left out former President Bush and Prime Minister Blair who are responsible for killing millions of Iraq's under a pretense of war against terrorism. This kind of selectivity about who ICC prosecutes is exactly why most Africans now oppose ICC. It has become a stoog of guilty conscience Europeans and wrong doers like the the USA. They are all trying to prosecute African leaders! what about the Nazism, how about the racists murderes in South Africa, by the way still at large. former PM Bothe of South Africa was a murderer of black people, yet no calls from the ICC. African Union is right to reject the ever intrusive ICC. Muarna Kaddify is right and a vote of African union member agree with him. Botswana is free to do as it chooses, alas the majority also say lets stop this foolish bastard ICC.
Moks;
What a stupid decision by Botswana! This is like all the other decisions they have made against the majority. They are only isolating themselves from the rest of Africa. Only time will tell! Botswana thinks things will remain the way they are for ever. What they do not know and do not realize is that they are just being used by imperialists to demonize other African leaders and countries.
Not so long ago Phendu Skelemani called for the bombing of Zimbabwe because of cholera. Not so long ago Skelemani called for the closure of all our borders to starve and kill innocent men, women and children in Zimbabwe. Not so long ago the same junta in Botswana connived with the MDC to train bandits which, if the scheme had not been exposed, could have been used to invade our country and we all know what happens if you start an insurgency - it will never stop, it destroys and kills innocent people.
Angola and Mozambique both suffered sixteen years of civil war each, which time they could and should have used to develop their countries and improve the lives of their peoples. But because of such foolishness and such stupidity as is being displayed by Botswana, the peoples of the two countries are some of the poorest on the continent and yet the countries are some of the richest on the continent.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the President of Liberia, is today being asked to resign and face prosecution for her role in the civil war in that country. She never imaged that this would happen as she went around the world denouncing other leaders including my own, President R.G. Mugabe. She believed herself to be invincible, she is not and the curtains are now coming down on her.
Today she has to make a choice of whether to ignore the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which she appointed, in which case she will show the whole world that she does not respect the rule of law on which platform she fought during the elections that resulted in her winning the Presidency. Alternatively she could comply and go to the ICC in The Hague where her colleague, Charles Taylor is currently languishing in jail, at her behest. The choice is hers and hers alone.
Botswana should realize that things will one day change and when that happens they will need the assistance and support (morally, diplomatically, materially and what have you) of the countries they are denouncing and demonizing. No country can ever stand on its own; ignoring neighbors because of filthy lucre from former colonial masters in the west. In fact Botswana can be likened to a crawling baby when it comes to world politics - it is stillborn.
Not so long ago Botswana had a land/border dispute with Namibia which threatened to push the two countries to war. Had it not been for SADC, the two countries would still be fighting by now or Botswana would have long been overrun by Namibia - which was more than likely. As a region we mediated between the two countries and averted war which was not as a result of Botswana's wit or cleverness.
Botswana has forgotten all that for the love of filthy lucre from imperialists. In my Shona language we say 'Chara chimwe hachi chwanye inda' (One thumb cannot kill fleas). 'Zano ndega akasiya jira mumasese. Ndamba kuudzwa akaonekwa nembonje pahuma' (Self-advice resulted in the person getting unnecessarily injured). If you stand with and by your brothers they will stand with you in your time of need - they will warn you when you are getting too close to an angry puff udder, or a hungry lion.
It is clear for everyone, including Botswana, to see that the ICC is a racist institution meant to punish Africans for daring to cut ties with imperialists, for daring to refuse to be dictated to by former colonizers and for daring to want to solve their own problems without the help or interference of imperialists.
Botswana is thus, idiotically, stupidly and foolishly putting itself on the spotlight and all countries in Africa are just waiting for that day when anything bad happens, ANYTHING, and I mean ANYTHING, and they will tell Ian Khama to solve the problems own his own.
It is unimaginable today to think of what could happen to a peaceful, stable, and economically sound country and to a much taunted "democracy" like Botswana. But, but, but ANYTHING can happen any time and when that happens we in Zimbabwe will NOT call for the bombing of the innocent Batswana but will remind the unelected and unelectable junta in Botswana, especially Khama and Skelemani, of what they are doing and saying.
In 1980 we reminded Zambia of what they did to and said about us but the only good thing is that we said it in so nice words and so diplomatically that they did not realize what we were reminding them and that cemented our relationship up to this day - which good relations were about to be disturbed by Levy Mwanawasa, who also connived with the British against us and was doing and saying things that amounted to declaration of war. We are only too happy he did not succeed just as Khama also failed and will continue to fail.
African countries can not stand alone or help themselves. Botswana does not need other African countries, they are backward and still playing the blame game. No one has stopped the terrible atrocities in Darfur, instead tax payers like me in America are sending their hard earned money to feed those poor children, and try to at least lobby to stop the killings by those ARABS!!! Rapist are justified in Africa, you should be castrated and burned. Western countries are the least of your problem. I just wish the Western countries will stop funding such bullshit.
Moks They do not see Where Bots is coming from because they have such attitudes AND BIG GOBS
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