Criminal Court asks South Africa to arrest Sudan President Omar al-Bashir

Johannesburg: The International Criminal Court has called for South Africa to arrest Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir, who is reported to have arrived in Johannesburg for a summit of the African Union that started on Sunday.

Bashir is wanted by the ICC, of which South Africa is a signatory, over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Darfur conflict dating back to 2003.

Sidiki Kaba, president of the assembly of the ICC, said in a statement 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.”