Tanzania's President, Jakaya Kikwete (L) speaks during a joint press conference with his Sudanese counterpart Omar al-Bashir (R) in Khartoum on September 8, 2008 (library photo: AFP)
The Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir has reportedly cancelled a trip he was planning to make to Tanzania last week.
Local newspapers in Khartoum said that Bashir was headed to Dar es Salaam on Friday December 9th for talks with his Tanzanian counterpart Jakaya Kikwete on issues of mutual concern. He was to be accompanied by his foreign Minister Ali Karti, Defence Minister Abdel-Rahim Mohamed Hussein and minister of the presidency Bakri Hassan Saleh.
Tanzania along with Uganda has recently voted against Sudan’s bid to join the East African Community (EAC) citing concerns over Khartoum’s democratic practices and its treatment of women as well as geographic proximity.
Bashir was apparently planning to participate in the celebrations marking Tanzania’s 50th Independence Day which took place last Friday.
But the visit was called off last minute for coinciding with swearing in ceremony of new cabinet and was to be rescheduled.
This would have been the fifth country visited by the Sudanese leader that is a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Bashir is the first sitting president indicted by the ICC, which issued an arrest warrant on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region.
Local newspapers in Khartoum said that Bashir was headed to Dar es Salaam on Friday December 9th for talks with his Tanzanian counterpart Jakaya Kikwete on issues of mutual concern. He was to be accompanied by his foreign Minister Ali Karti, Defence Minister Abdel-Rahim Mohamed Hussein and minister of the presidency Bakri Hassan Saleh.
Tanzania along with Uganda has recently voted against Sudan’s bid to join the East African Community (EAC) citing concerns over Khartoum’s democratic practices and its treatment of women as well as geographic proximity.
Bashir was apparently planning to participate in the celebrations marking Tanzania’s 50th Independence Day which took place last Friday.
But the visit was called off last minute for coinciding with swearing in ceremony of new cabinet and was to be rescheduled.
This would have been the fifth country visited by the Sudanese leader that is a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Bashir is the first sitting president indicted by the ICC, which issued an arrest warrant on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region.
source: http://www.wavuti.com/
Allow me to betray my shallowness on both international law and internal Sudanese politics, but why does he bother visiting in the first place?
JibuFutaShouldn't he be tasking another Sudanese, say a cabinet minister, for that, especially when his scalp has been declared desired trophy by the ICC? Or maybe he views himself as synonymous to "The Sudanese People"?
Does it not occur to him that he possibly is putting host countries like Tanzania and more recently Malawi in untenable positions by his showcase visits?
Or does he lack the power of empathy for host countries?
I personally do not like this man and, put mildly, I will not lose any dime buying a paper for banners announcing "BASHIR AND HIS DAY ONE IN JAIL"! For that matter he can serve his time in Africa, in Arabia or in Europe I do not care!
As I said, I am a relative ignoramus on these matters and I am talking here for my own individual self and from my own little reading of his doings in power in recent and not-so-recent years.
So I am challenging anybody who knows of some virtues of this gentleman to please EDUCATE me here.
And thanks in anticipation!