Roundup: ICC asks Uganda to explain failure to arrest Sudan's Bashir

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has asked Uganda to explain why it failed to arrest Sudanese leader Omar Al-Bashir when he visited the country last week.

Bashir is wanted by the Court to answer charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Sudan's Darfur region.

The strong ICC protest letter to Uganda is another indication of the annoyance of some international actors as a result of President Yoweri Museveni's stinging comments about the Court.

"The Chamber requests the competent authorities of the Republic of Uganda to submit, by June 24, 2016, their observations with respect to their failure to arrest and surrender Omar Al-Bashir while present on the territory of the Republic of Uganda," said the letter dated May 17 and signed by Judge Cuno Tarfusser, Presiding Judge.

Museveni in his inaugural speech on May 12, marking his new term of office, referred to the Court as a useless organization used by Western powers to witch-hunt African leaders.

Museveni made the comments in front 14 African leaders, diplomats and a mammoth crowd.

The court handles major international crimes genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, who also faced ICC charges before but were dropped, was in the audience.

The Chairperson of the African Union, Chadian President Idriss Deby described Museveni as a key African leader in fighting imperialism. Deby said such leaders who have Africa's interest at heart are what the continent needs.

Dismayed by Museveni's comments, American and European Union diplomats walked out in protest. They argued that Uganda, as a signatory of the Rome Statute that established the Court, was obliged to arrest Bashir and hand him over to The Hague based court.

Human rights organizations were also up in arms arguing that Uganda should have arrested Bashir.

On social media platforms, there was heated debate as to why countries that are not members of the ICC like the United States were offended by Uganda's comments about the Court.

Uganda was a proponent of ICC. It was the first country to refer a case to the Court.

In 2002, Uganda referred the case of the rebel Lord's Resistance Army Commander Joseph Kony to ICC. The court charged Kony and his top commanders of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the northern part of Uganda during the outfit's insurgency.

Over time, when the Court started targeting African leaders to account for the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in their respective countries, Uganda just like other African countries protested.

They argued that the Court was carrying out its role selectively, noting that Western powers who were responsible of heinous crimes elsewhere in the world were not targeted.

There is growing consensus among African countries to withdraw from the Court.

Henry Okello-Oryem, Uganda's state minister for foreign affairs, said unless the ICC revises its approach, Uganda or Africa has no business with them.

"There is no reason for ICC to be confrontational, because our stand as a continent is that it is a tool used by the West to target African leaders," Oryem told the Daily Monitor on Thursday.

He said the Uganda will respond to the ICC request in line with Museveni's position regarding the Court. Enditem