African Media Coverage

February 16-28, 2009

Angola: Angola Press
"Sudan's Bashir tries to stall Darfur genocide ruling"
Published: February 24, 2009

With an arrest warrant looming over him for crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur, Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir is on a last-minute bid to win friends and influence people.

In a Sunday visit with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak – one of the strongest voices in the Arab League – Mr. Bashir explained his concerns about what would happen to his country if the International Criminal Court (ICC) follows through on the chief prosecutor’s request for an arrest warrant for Bashir.

The ICC said Monday that it will announce whether to issue the warrant on March 4. Bashir’s backers argue that the ICC’s pursuit of justice is undermining his leadership and the ability to strike a peace deal with Darfur rebels. While Bashir has racked up a broad range of supporters – from members of the African Union to the Arab League to China – his time seems to be running out.

Read the article here.

South Africa: iol
“SA wants to delay arrest of Sudanese leader”
Published: February 20, 2009

South Africa is trying to persuade the International Criminal Court (ICC) to delay its indictment of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on genocide charges, Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma said on Friday.

She said issuing an international arrest warrant for the Sudanese leader would compromise chances of making peace in Sudan's war-torn Darfur region.

"Our view is clear. We don't condone impunity but at the same time peace is very important to the people of Sudan, in Darfur in particular, so we have to give the people of Sudan a change for peace," she said in Cape Town after talks with her Sudanese counterpart Deng Alor.

Read the article here.

South Africa: Business Day
“Chad is the first step to achieving peace in Darfur”
Published: February 16, 2009

Afrifca expects much of a president widely perceived as a son of the continent. Many of President Barack Obama’s advisers on Africa repent their inactivity over the Rwanda genocide; none more so than Susan Rice, the new ambassador to the United Nations (UN).

And much of the African focus will be on Darfur: Obama visited Darfuri refugee camps in Chad in September 2006.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has advocated no-fly zones in Darfur, while Rice has even suggested North Atlantic Treaty Organisation air strikes and a naval blockade to stop the flow of oil from Sudan. Vice-president Joe Biden has also taken a hard line. The president, however, despite his humanitarian interest in north Africa’s wars, has shown more caution.

Read the article here.