The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday requested that the upcoming African Union (AU) summit be moved to Ethiopia after the host Malawi threatened to arrest the country's president Al-Bashir if he attends.
The ministry summoned diplomatic representatives of the African Union (AU) member states in Khartoum and told them that Khartoum wants the upcoming 19th summit to be moved, citing Malawi's failure to commit to previous AU resolutions which instructed its member states not to cooperate with the arrest warrants issued for Al-Bashir.
Al-Bashir is wanted by the Hague-based International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide allegedly committed in the country's western region of Darfur.
Malawi President Joyce Banda announced in early May that she had asked the AU not to invite Al-Bashir to the summit that is scheduled to be held in July, explaining that her country's previous hosting of the Sudanese leader has had implications on the economy.
The South African nation suffered a loss of $350 million in US aid money, suspended by Washington which cited deteriorating human rights conditions and the country's decision to allow Al-Bashir to attend a regional summit in the capital Lilongwe when former President Bingu wa Mutharika was in power last year.
Moreover, Banda reportedly told a British development official earlier this month that her country would comply with the ICC arrest warrant since her country is a signatory of the Rome Statue which founded the court.
The acting undersecretary of the Sudanese ministry of foreign affairs, Omer Sidiq, pointed out that their request to move the summit came as a result of Malawi's failure to commit to the duties of hosting a summit. He added that Sudan's request was legitimate and consistent with the AU's constitution.
The Sudanese diplomat said that the interest of both Africa and Malawi lies in holding the summit elsewhere since it would tackle important issues such as peace in Darfur as well as AU-mediated talks between Sudan and South Sudan.
Sidiq went on to criticize Malawi's position, saying that its demands for excluding Al-Bashir from the summit were "illegal" because he is not going there on a personal visit but to attend an AU summit. He further claimed that most AU countries oppose Malawi's decision. Sidiq also pointed out that there is no diplomatic representation between Sudan and Malawi.
But Malawi has quickly dismissed Khartoum's request and insisted that it would hold the summit as planned.
The country's information minister Moses Kumkuyu on Thursday said that Lilongwe was going ahead with hosting the summit. He pointed out that Khartoum's position was lacking basis because all Malawi did was to express grievances.
"The statutes of the African Union give freedom to member states to make their grievances known," Kumkuyu told News Time Africa Thursday. "We were only making our position known and that is not infringing on any statute of the AU."
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"IT IS IMPOSIBLE TO HOLD THE SUMMIIT IN MALAWI ". NOT ONLY WOULD IT UNDERMINE "THE AFRICAN NUION" IT WOULD MAKE A STATEMENTB OF WEAKNESS TO THIS KANGAROO RACIST COURT" "THE AFRICAN UNION "HAS BEEN CLEAR WHERE IT STOOD, IT CAN NOT BACK TRACK BECSAUSE YOU WANT TO BEG FOR MONEY. "NO"!!! MATTER HOW YOU SEE IT SHE IS BEGGING ,WHERE THE FORMER PRIME MINISTER' DECIDED THAT THE BEGGING HAT WAS OUT THE DOOR. THE ABILITY TO HOLD TYHE AU SUMMIT WOULD HAVE BEEN TA FEATHER THE OPPORTUNITY FOR MALAWI TO POSTION ITSELF WITH ALL THE CONTINENETS LEADERS ,WHO WOULD WITHOUT DOUBT NOT HAVE ALLOWED HIM TO RETURN CAP IN HAND TO THESE THIEVES BANDITS RACIST ENSLAVERS WHO LIKES TO LOOK DOWN ON THEIR PREY "" THIS IS WHAT YOU ARE TO THEM. AFRICAN DIGNITARIES ARE NOT BEGGING ANYONE FOR A SINGLE PENNY NOT TODAY WE ARE LOOKING FOR SINCERE PARTNERS EQUALS NOT BIG YOU LITTLE i. "NO WAY !!!!! THOSE DAYS ARE FINISHED. NOT EVEN SOUTH SUDAN WHO IS FALLING APART IS GOING AROUND BEGGING, THEY ARE A FRRE PEOPLE LOOKING FOR INVESRTTORS EQUAL PARTNERS IN EVERY WAY. THE CONTINENT IS TRULY ESCAPING THE STEREOTYPICAL VIEW OF AFRICANS ONE THAT IS ALWAYS BEGGING AND HAS NO FUTURE EXCEPT TO BE EXPLOITED. THERE IS NO WAY THAT ANY SUCH PROGRESSIVE LEADERS WOULD INSULT THEMSELVES ,TO SHOW THE WEST THAT THEY PREFER TO SELL THIER BROTHERS OUT FOR A PIECE OF BREAD A CAUSE THEY DO NOT SUPPORT" . "THE BWAAY !!WHO IS PROSECUTOR OF THE ICC IS ON A POWER TRIP" WHO IS HE????? "HE THINKS HE IS GOVERNOR GENRAL OF ALL AFRICA" "FIRE BURN ALL AGGITATORS DISCRIMINATORS ANTOGONIST PROTAGONIST LIARS MISCHIEFMAKERS DEATH AN DESTRUCTION LIGHTENING FIREBALL EARTHQUAKE AND THUNDER TO ALL THOSE INQUITY WORKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Her Excellency President Joyce Banda of Malawi has guts. This could be the beginnings of a new Africa where dictatorship, creation of refugees, the killings and every kind of violence by African leaders to African citizens is finally stamped out.
Al-Bashir is a wanted man for his brutalities on Africans, and for the life of me, I cannot understand how any sane African can try to protect this man. Just because he is an African? What about the victims and his crimes against them? Oh I get it. African leaders can do whatever they wish on citizens because after all, these crapped upon are just people who do not matter and those leaders like President Banda who stand up against such apathy and indifference of life under the hands of another African, are made to feel that they are doing something wrong. This embrace of dictators is the the death of Africa.