Bashir blow

ON MONDAY, President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan fled arrest in South Africa and is now safely back in Khartoum. His escape is another blow to the International Criminal Court, which has been struggling to bring him to trial for six years on charges of crimes against humanity and genocide.

This could not have happened without the complicity of the South African government, which deserves condemnation. The biggest losers are the victims of Bashir’s cruel policies in Darfur, who are being denied justice.

Members of the international court, such as South Africa, are supposed to respect its warrants. The charges against Bashir include murder and acts of extermination and rape, among other abuses in Darfur, where 300 000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced since 2003.

The International Criminal Court has been unable to enforce its writ, partly because of opposition in Sudan and partly because some African governments believe the court has unfairly focused on African leaders.

The court asked the UN Security Council in March to help it enforce the warrant for Bashir. He apparently felt he could travel safely to Johannesburg to attend an African Union summit meeting because the South African government insisted he had immunity.

South Africa cannot help but compromise its leadership position in Africa if it insists on reneging on its international commitments and protecting leaders accused of war crimes.

Despite his escape, Bashir’s world is shrinking. Recently, he has been unable to travel to certain countries – Indonesia, Malawi, Botswana, Turkey and Malaysia – either because he fears arrest or because leaders made it clear he was not welcome.

Human rights groups have become increasingly vigorous in demanding his arrest. At some point, he may even have to think twice about visiting South Africa.