Uganda would consider granting ousted Sudan President Omar Al Bashir asylum, International media reports.
Al Bashir, who faces crimes against humanity charges, risks arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC), after being deprived the office that gave him immunity for over a decade.
Reports indicate Al Bashir’s role in mediating peace with neighbouring South Sudan nation, is one of the reasons Yoweri Museveni’s government would protect him from ICC.
“If Uganda is approached to grant asylum to Bashir it is an issue that can be considered at the highest level of our leadership,” state minister for foreign affairs Henry Okello Oryem said.
The minister affirmed Uganda’s appeal for the rule of law in Sudan.
“Uganda is keenly following the developments in Sudan and we ask the new leadership there to respect the aspirations of the Sudanese people among them peaceful transfer of power to the civilian rule,” he added.
Uganda is one of the African nations which have hosted Al Bashir without handing him over to ICC, despite being members of the international crimes tribunal.
Al Bashir, who ruled Sudan for 30 years, was toppled last week after months of protests in the country.
The military council has since taken over pending election preparations.
The leadership has affirmed that it will not extradite the ousted leader to the International court.
“We as a military council, we will not deliver the President abroad during our period” in office, Awad Mohammed Ibn Ouf said when asked about the ICC arrest warrant.
Read:Sudan Military Council Declines To Handover Ousted Al-Bashir To ICC
The move follows calls by Amnesty International for Sudan to handover Al-Bashir to ICC.
“Bashir is wanted for some of the most odious human rights violations of our generation, and we need to finally see him held accountable,” Amnesty secretary general Kumi Naidoo said in a statement.
Al-Bashir was the first sitting president to be indicted by the International criminal court.
In March 2009, ICC slapped Al-Bashir with the first warrant of arrest on five counts of crimes against humanity in Darfur, where his troops quelled a rebellion in 2013.
In July 2010, ICC issued yet another warrant of arrest but he was lucky as Sudan wasn’t a member of the International Criminal Court based in Hague, Netherlands. The case was referred to the United Nations security.
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