Daily Darfur: Immunity, Gift-Wrapped

Special delivery, from the African Union to its favorite indicted war criminal: Immunity, a dictator's crucible of power.

The AU announced official non-cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday, in response to the arrest warrants issued for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. The resolution, passed by AU delegates at a meeting in Libya, states that member states will not comply with calls to arrest the beleaguered dictator. The resolution supposedly allows Bashir to move freely throughout the continent, rather than restricting travel to non-ICC signatory states.

Though troubling, and undoubtedly damaging, especially given the utter disregard for the many victims of Bashir's violent rule, the resolution is not entirely indicative of a strong united front against the ICC. The resolution does not ask members states to withdraw from the ICC, as has been threatened recently, and many are reported to have expressed significant discontent with the language. Is it perhaps the result of strong-arming by a select faction of AU leadership, with visions of their own chances for prosecution dancing in their heads?

It will be interesting to see just how far Bashir tests his new continental passport --- Botswana, for one, is distancing itself from the resolution, and continuing calls for his arrest and trial. I doubt Bashir is gutsy enough to make Botswana put its money where its mouth is and defy the AU, but I sure wish he'd try. (I wonder what would happen if Botswana was able to carry out the warrant?)

Quickies

Former UNSG Kofi Annan came to the defense of the ICC, following the AU resolution.

Two aid workers with the Irish NGO Goal were abducted from their compound in North Darfur on Friday.  The Sudanese foreign ministry is still attempting to establish contact with the yet-to-be identified kidnappers. Journalist Rob Crilly writes that Darfur's multiple armed groups, from rebels to government-backed militias to bandits, offer a number of possible actors and motives, and the Sudanese government plays an obstructionist role in efforts to monitor the security situation.

Sudan Liberation Movement leader Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur cited the kidnappings in a refutation of government claims that Darfur is safe enough for IDPs to return home.

Bashir unveiled a new Sudanese-produced aircraft yesterday, in defiance of sanctions against the country.

[Photo from Reuters: Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir waves to supporters at the launch of the Safat-01 aircraft, Sudan's first home-manufactured aircraft, a $15,000 training plane that runs on car fuel, in Khartoum July 5, 2009. Al-Bashir said on Sunday sanctions could not block development in his country, as he spoke at the latest in a string of defiant rallies mounted after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against him in March. Picture taken July 5, 2009.]