South Africa: Al-Bashir controversy nothing but a 'distraction' says AU spokesperson

The arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and the human rights accusations against him, are a "distraction" from critical issues, African Union (AU) Spokesperson Jacob Enoh Eben stated at the AU Heads Of State Summit in Sandton, Johannesburg, on Sunday. Al-Bashir is accused of committing war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity, which led a South African court to issue an interim preventing the Sudanese president from leaving the country, while the International Criminal Court (ICC) have issued an arrest warrant for him. The African Union however declared that it will not comply with the court's decision and asked for the proceedings to be stopped. Eben stated these "distractions" should be "managed in a manner" that does not affect critical issues and that al-Bashir is only attending as "one of the 54 heads of states and governments." The Sudanese president is accused of war atrocities during the Darfur conflict, in which around 300,000 people were killed and two million displaced.