Sudan: African Union chief against Bashir ICC indictment

(SomaliNet) During a visit to Sudanese capital Khartoum on Monday, The chairperson of the African Union affirmed support for deferring any war crimes indictment against Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

Meanwhile, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has asked judges to issue an arrest warrant for Bashir for war crimes committed in Sudan\'s western Darfur region. \"Justice has to be done, justice must be seen to be done, what the AU is simply saying is that what is critical, what is the priority, is peace.

That is priority number one now,\" Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete said, standing beside Bashir. \"We should do the first thing first. On this basis, the AU supports deferral of the indictment,\" said Kikwete, who currently chairs the regional bloc.
Bashir rejects accusations of war crimes and genocide.

Both the African Union and Arab League want any indictment put on hold, saying it could obstruct efforts to bring peace to Darfur, where international experts say at least 200 000 people have died as a result of conflict since 2003.

Darfur rebels took up arms against the Khartoum government complaining of neglect and discrimination against the region\'s non-Arab people.-Reuters