Some legislators say that the attempted arrest of President Omar Al-Bashir is lessons to some African Presidents, who are dictators, cling to power and commit atrocities. The High Court in Pretoria on Sunday extended an order preventing Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir from leaving South Africa, where he had gone to attend an African Union Summit, until it made a final decision on calls for his arrest on a warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
However, yesterday President Omar Al-Bashir left South Africa for Khartoum were he received a hero’s welcome, although it was established that he is wanted for war crimes. This pre-empted a court ruling over an international warrant for his arrest.
Kaberamaido District Woman Member of Parliament Florence Ibi said it should be a warning to all presidents who take power and refuses to hand over power and turn against their subjects. Marunzi county MP in Lira District, Maxwell Akora, noted that this attempt gives a signal to all African Leaders who practice impunity.
Bughendera County MP in Bundibugyo District, Matte Joseph Sibalinghaha, was of another view; he said that it is unfortunate that ICC is biased because it arrests only African Leaders and leaves western Leaders. Matte says African Leaders should be handed over to African Union for prosecution to keep the sovereignty of the country.
The Pretoria High Court issued an order for Mr Bashir’s arrest hours after his aircraft left the country. The deputy prosecutor James Stewart told the BBC “We still remain quietly optimistic and determined to see justice done in this case.”
