CAIRO (AP) - A rights group has urged Tunisia to either “bar or arrest” Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir if he tries to attend an Arab League summit this weekend.
In a report issued Tuesday, New York-based Human Rights Watch described al-Bashir as a “fugitive from international justice” because he is wanted by the International Criminal Court for charges of genocide linked to the Darfur conflict.
The State-run SUNA news agency said Wednesday, however, that al-Bashir would not attend the summit, without giving an explanation.
SUNA said Defense Minister Gen. Awad Mohammed Ibn Auf, who was named vice president last month, will lead the Sudanese delegation to the annual gathering in the Tunisian capital on Sunday.
Sudanese have been holding protests since December calling on al-Bashir to step down. He has ruled the country since seizing power in a 1989 coup.
The Arab League has rejected the arrest warrant, and al-Bashir has visited several Arab countries in the years since it was issued. It is not clear whether he would attend the upcoming summit.
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