News on Africa

The African Union refused to act on an international war crimes warrant for Sudan's president, at a summit that also yielded a deal on the powers of a new regional Authority. The refusal to arrest Sudan President Omar al-Beshir granted a continent-wide reprieve to a leader accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. While the measure was backed by Libya and other nations that sympathise with Sudan, the text also voiced Africa's frustration at the UN Security Council's failure to consider a request to ...

The African Union decided Friday not to cooperate with a war crimes warrant against Sudan President Omar al-Beshir and again appealed to the United Nations to delay the case. "The conference decided not to cooperate in that field," the top AU official Jean Ping told reporters. The summit decision effectively allows Beshir to travel across Africa without fear of arrest under the warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity issued by the International Criminal Court. The text was backed by Libyan leader and current AU chief Moamer Kadhafi, who ...

After bitter wrangling, Africa's leaders agreed Friday to denounce the International Criminal Court and refuse to extradite Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir, who has been indicted for crimes against humanity in Darfur. The decision at the African Union summit says AU members "shall not cooperate" with the court in The Hague "in the arrest and transfer of President Omar al-Bashir of the Sudan to the ICC." Sudan welcomed the move, and other Africans said it was a ...

LAGOS (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama's choice of Ghana for his first official trip to Africa next week has triggered a bout of self-questioning in Nigeria and Kenya, where many see his itinerary as a deliberate snub. The first black U.S. president is keen to hold Ghana up as a democratic model for Africa, where polls are too often marred by vote-rigging and violence, denting the pride of states which consider themselves equally important and worthy of a visit. "Part of the reason is because Ghana has ...