Sudan calls on EU envoy to criticize Bashir's visits

Khartoum (AFP) – Sudan on Wednesday summoned the EU ambbadador to his country to protest against an EU statement criticizing Uganda and Djibouti for hosting President Omar al-Bashir, wanted by the International Criminal Court. The ICC in The Hague issued arrest warrants against Bashir, accusing him of war crimes and genocide in the deadly conflict that erupted in 2003 in the Sudanese region of Darfur.

The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected EU criticism. "The Foreign Minister today summoned the EU ambbadador to express regret and rejection of the EU declaration that is putting pressure on African countries and the EU," Reporters Without Borders said. calls for accepting the allegations of the ICC ". about Sudan, "said the ministry in a statement.

Bashir visited Uganda last week for a summit with his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni and South Sudanese President Salva Kiir to negotiate an agreement to end the war in South Sudan

He also went to Djibouti to attend a ceremony marking the launch of the first phase of the largest free trade area in Africa

are parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC and are therefore obliged to arrest Bashir on their territory.

"President Bashir is doing his duty according to the mandate given by the States of the United States. IGAD to bring peace to South Sudan ", referring to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development – a regional trade bloc – which is pushing a new bid to end the war in South Sudan. [19659007] Bashir is currently organizing p Talks in Khartoum between warring factions in South Sudan to end the war. It has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced nearly four million since it broke up in December 2013.

Bashir is accused of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the conflict in Darfur.

The war in Darfur broke out when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against Bashir's Arab-majority government, which launched a brutal counter-insurgency.

The UN Security Council has asked the ICC to investigate crimes in Darfur. At least 300,000 people were killed and 2.5 million were displaced.

Bashir denies the charges, and his visit to South Africa in 2015 sparked major controversy.

Last year, the ICC ruled the court when it refused to stop Bashir.