Malawi has decided not to host the African Union (AU) summit in July, after disputes over the attendance of Sudan’s president, Omar Al-Bashir.
Omar Al-Bashir has been indicted for war crimes in Darfur by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Incidentally, Sudan’s president has visited several African, Asian and Middle Eastern countries despite the ICC arrest warrants for charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The AU lobbied for Bashir’s arrest warrant to be deferred and urged Malawi to allow the president to attend the summit. According to the Vice President of Malawi, Khumbo Kachali, the government had received a letter from the AU saying that it had no right to decide who could attend the summit.
Commenting on the situation, Kachali said,
“Much as Malawi has obligations to the AU, it has also other obligations. The Cabinet has decided not to host the summit”
Bashir visited Malawi last year in October. The visit hurt Malawi’s international relations and played a part in a cut in foreign aid, including from the United Kingdom and the United States.
The failure to arrest Bashir during his trip led to Malawi being referred to the UN Security Council and outrage from the ICC, who demanded an explanantion.
See our earlier post: Malawi ‘needs to take its medicine’ – UN (04 Nov 2011)
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