{UAH} Malema: AU must defend al-Bashir

Malema: AU must defend al-Bashir

2015-06-14 20:52

News24 Correspondent

Julius Malema (Jabu Kumalo)

Johannesburg - Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema on Sunday said indicted Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir is "weak" and a vulnerable leader who must be defended from South Africa and its Western allies.

This after the Pretoria High Court has issued an interim order stopping al-Bashir from leaving the country until it made a ruling on whether to endorse handing him to the International Criminal Court.

According to a Bloomberg report, al-Bashir had already left South Africa and was returning to Khartoum.

Bashir was in the country for African Union (AU) summit and has been avoiding travelling to the US and other states since the accusation of Darfur Genocide.

The ICC accused Bashir on committing war crimes and crimes against humanity as a result of Darfur's conflict, which saw at least 400 000 people dead in 2003.

Addressing EFF's National Students Assembly at University of Limpopo's Turfloop campus, Malema said African Union leaders must put pressure on President Jacob Zuma's government.

He said AU must defend al-Bashir from imperialists who are using South Africa to continue its colonialisation plot.

"All those leaders at African Union today, we are testing them, we are challenging them, they must stand with Bashir, they must tell South Africa, you are not going to do that, not in our meeting," said Malema.

He said South Africa cannot endorse Bashir's arrest because the wanted head of state is not on holiday or officially visiting South Africa.

"Al-Bashir did not visit South Africa, by the way he visited the African Union, he is not here for South Africa's purpose, and AU must stand on its authority and say not in our visit," said Malema.

However, he said defending Bashir does not mean that is endorsement for him to avoid justice.

"Al-Bashir is weak, and we must defend him, once we have defended him we must subject him to the Justice of Africa. We are not saying he must dodge justice," he adds.

"To arrest an African leader because we are directed so by the institution of imperialism, we are not saying what al-Bashir did is justifiable or not, but to act on instruction of imperialism is counter revolutionary and unacceptable," he said.

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