Al-Bashir To Visit Egypt Next, Despite Warrant

CAIRO — The Sudanese president plans to travel to Egypt on Wednesday, in his second venture abroad since the international arrest warrant against him for war crimes in Darfur, government officials in Cairo said.

Egyptian officials said Tuesday that Omar al-Bashir would discuss "regional developments" with President Hosni Mubarak. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.

The government did not release an official announcement confirming the visit, and Sudanese officials declined to comment.

The word of the visit came as a joint U.N.-Sudanese report, released in New York, warned that about 1.1 million people in Darfur will not receive their food rations in May unless a way is found to fill the gap left after Khartoum expelled 13 international aid groups in retaliation for the arrest warrant.

The U.N. has sharply criticized al-Bashir for the expulsion which has threatened a new humanitarian crisis in Darfur.

Al-Bashir briefly visited the politically isolated African nation of Eritrea on Monday but a trip to Egypt would be a more high-profile exposure and a boost for the Sudanese leader, who remains defiant in the face of the March 4 arrest order by the Netherlands-based International Criminal Court.

U.S. ally Egypt is a member of the 22-nation Arab League, which has supported al-Bashir against the warrant and declared that its members will not arrest the embattled Sudanese president. Al-Bashir dismisses the ICC as a prejudiced court with no jurisdiction in Sudan.

Egypt has said it is trying to work out a diplomatic solution to al-Bashir's standoff with the ICC.

Story continues below

advertisement

In Khartoum, Ali Youssef, a senior Foreign Ministry official, declined to confirm or deny the visit, saying only that al-Bashir would go where he is invited.

"The president is free to travel," Yousssef said. "You go to countries where you are invited ... It is the decision of the sovereign country that he visits."

The ICC charged al-Bashir with leading a counterinsurgency against Darfur rebels that involved rapes, killings and other atrocities against civilians. His government has been accused of unleashing Arab militiamen known as janjaweed against Darfur civilians in a drive to put down a revolt by ethnic Africans in the region.

Up to 300,000 people have died and 2.7 million driven from their homes in the conflict since 2003, according to the U.N.

Under the ICC charter, member states are bound to arrest those indicted when they enter their territory. Egypt is not a signatory and only a few of the Arab League states are, which effectively makes the region a haven for al-Bashir.

Al-Bashir is also scheduled to attend the March 27 Arab League summit in the tiny Gulf nation of Qatar, also not an ICC signatory.

Following the ICC warrant, al-Bashir expelled 13 international aid organizations from Darfur, causing an international outcry. He accused the groups of spying for the tribunal and threatened to expel more organizations and even ambassadors if they overstepped their mandate.

A joint U.N.-Sudanese assessment team said Tuesday the expulsion abruptly ended special feeding programs for thousands of severely malnourished children and pregnant women in Darfur, and also threatened health care and shelter for hundreds of thousands of people there.

U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, Ameerah Haq, said on behalf of the team that unless the Sudanese government and the U.N. find new partners to fill the aid gaps, about 1.1 million people now dependent on food aid will not receive their rations, starting in May.

Another 692,400 people are in danger of not getting materials they need to build shelters before the upcoming rainy season, Haq said, and money will run out within four weeks for spare parts and fuel needed to provide drinking water for 850,000 people.

The team was sent to Darfur from March 11-19 to look at the gaps left by the aid groups' expulsion. Its findings were released at a press conference at the United Nations in New York.

___

Associated Press Writers Sarah El Deeb in El Fasher, Sudan, and John Heilprin at the United Nations in New York, contributed to this report.

Comments

[kimleehan]

United Nation's reported 300,000 violent deaths in Sudan in five years. Arrest warrent issued for Sudan president.­-------- Opinion research bussiness reports 1,033,000 violent deaths in Iraq since Bush's illegal invasion in march 2003. No arrest warrent issued. Go figure.

[xpresv]

Uh...two million South Sudanese were killed during Bashir's genocidal incursions there.

Yes, Bush was wrong to invade Iraq. We should have been going after Bashir instead of Saddam. Unlike Saddam, Bashir DID collaborate with Al Qaeda to attack Americans in Kenya, Tanzania,and Yemen.

Let's hope Egypt executes an arrest on Wednesday.

[Princeton123]

"Bashir DID collaborate with Al Qaeda to attack Americans in Kenya, Tanzania,and Yemen."

Where is the proof? is this Cheney talking?

[LilGlow]

I don't expect any Arab nation to arrest Al-Bashir. I really believe they agree with him on getting rid of black africans in Sudan and anywhere else in Africa if they can get away with it.

[Imhotep40]

Sad, but true

[Eddie Sengola]

Did it happen to you, that the WEST has been arming the rebels for many years, to destabilize Sudan government. As Sudan has oil, and I think we, americans should be opened minded and not believe everything said about Sudan in our news media.

For your info. I am not Arab, I am black, and used to believe what you said, but after little research, I concluded that the Rebels are the main cause of the Genocide going on in Sudan.

[Princeton123]

Have you seen Al Bashir’s picture. He looks just as black as rest of Africa. The difference between Darfureans and the Sudanese Arabs is linguistic rather than racial/ ethnic.

West is trying to divide and conquer the largest African country with rich in natural resources. This is like, US instigating Panama to breakaway from Columbia.


Don’t believe this propaganda.