Sudan President Omar al-Bashir on Monday denounced moves to prosecute him for war crimes as an “infringement” on his country’s sovereignty, at a trade summit in Zimbabwe.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity in his country’s Darfur region.
“Such a move ushers a new era of domination and infringement upon the independence and sovereignty of Sudan,” he told a summit of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMSA) in the Zimbabwean resort town of Victoria Falls.
He called the charges a “falsity” aimed at breaking apart his country.
“Powers hostile to Sudan, sparing no effort to undermine the security and stability of the country, have now come up with a new falsity — the move by the ICC against the president of the Sudan,” he said.
“It is an action aiming at isolating Sudan from its regional sphere as a prelude to fragment the country,” he added.
Despite the warrant against him, Zimbabwe says it has no duty to arrest al-Bashir as it is not party to the treaty that set up the ICC. — AFP