The African Union has written to the Chairperson of the United Nations Security Council over the deferral of Sudan situation and termination of the Mr. William Ruto case at the International Criminal Court.
The letter to the current UNSC President Rafael Dario Ramirez Carreño seeks for an audience in the month of March.
“ … The assembly, among others, reiterated its request for suspension of the proceedings against President Omar Al Bashir and urged the United Security Council to withdraw the referral case in Sudan as well as termination or suspension of the proceedings against Deputy President William Samoei Ruto of Kenya until Africa’s concerns and proposals for amendments to the Rome Statute of the ICC are considered,” the letter signed by AU’s acting Chairperson Erastus Mwencha.
The letter further, states that, “Regrettably, these requests have either not been acted upon or have been turned down with the opposition of some members of the UNSC, at the time.”
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The letter cites conflicts in Burundi, DRC, Libya, South Sudan, Somalia and Darfur region including the resurgence of terrorist activities in Kenya, Nigeria and Mali as reason not to distract African leaders ‘with incessant cases before the ICC to the detriment and threat of instability to our countries and our dear continent’.
In the letter, the Ministerial committee visiting the UN will be led by Ethiopia Foreign Affairs Minister Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to engage it on all issues that have been raised by the AU.
- Read: AU letter to the UNSC
