PRETORIA: Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir will leave South Africa on Monday, an official in his delegation said, despite a court ordering him to stay as it decides whether to order his arrest over alleged war crimes and genocide.
A summit of African leaders has been overshadowed by the International Criminal Court ( ICC) call for Bashir to be detained on long-standing arrest warrants over his actions during the Darfur conflict.
“President Bashir is still in Johannesburg and will leave today,” a member of his delegation told AFP on condition of anonymity, brushing aside the court case.
On Sunday, Judge Hans Fabricius ordered authorities to stop Bashir from leaving the country and said the court would reconvene at 11:30 am (0930 GMT) on Monday.
The Southern African Litigation Centre, a legal rights group, had launched an urgent application in the Pretoria High Court to force the authorities to arrest Bashir.
South Africa is a signatory of the ICC, which has often been criticised for only targeting Africa leaders.
The European Union issued a statement saying it “expects South Africa… (to act) in executing the arrest warrant against any ICC indictee present in the country.”
-standardmedia.co.ke
