Sudanese president in Mauritania despite ICC arrest warrant

Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir arrived in Mauritania yesterday to attend a summit, despite an international arrest warrant issued against him in 2009 by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Sudan’s SUNA news agency reported: “President Omar Al-Bashir left this afternoon to Mauritania along with a Sudanese delegation to participate in a meeting of the Great Green Wall initiative.”

Last month South Africa refused to arrest Al-Bashir during an African Union summit, and threatened to withdraw from the ICC after an outcry.

Mauritania is not party to the Rome Statute of the ICC.

Over 300,000 people were killed and more than two million displaced during the conflict in Darfur.