Group calls for al-Bashir’s arrest ahead of Arab summit

CAIRO – A rights group has urged Tunisia to either “bar or arrest” Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir if he tries to attend an Arab League summit this weekend.

In a report issued Tuesday, New York-based Human Rights Watch described al-Bashir as a “fugitive from international justice” because he is wanted by the International Criminal Court for charges of genocide linked to the Darfur conflict.

The State-run SUNA news agency said Wednesday, however, that al-Bashir would not attend the summit, without giving an explanation.

SUNA said Defence Minister Gen. Awad Mohammed Ibn Auf, who was named vice-president last month, will lead the Sudanese delegation to the annual gathering in the Tunisian capital on Sunday.

Sudanese have been holding protests since December calling on al-Bashir to step down. He has ruled the country since seizing power in a 1989 coup.

The Arab League has rejected the arrest warrant, and al-Bashir has visited several Arab countries in the years since it was issued. It is not clear whether he would attend the upcoming summit.