'African Democracy and Human Rights'
Letter to the Guardian
Tuesday 1 June 2010, Louise Roland-Gosselin
The snubbing of the inauguration of Omar al-Bashir by Britain and the US, (World leaders stay away as Bashir sworn in for new term in Sudan, 28 May) demonstrates the hypocritical stance world leaders continue to take to the Sudanese president. In April, the international community accepted the results of Sudan's deeply flawed elections, despite evidence of ballot-box stuffing, political intimidation and violence at polling stations, in the hope of keeping cordial relations with Bashir. His indictment by the international criminal court for war crimes and crimes against humanity has been almost completely sidelined and it is believed that the US is preparing to lift trade sanctions on Sudan. Better relations with Bashir, it is thought, will bring peace to Sudan – yet talks on Darfur are at a standstill and the government continues to bomb Darfur's Jebel Marra with impunity.
For over five years the world has pandered to Sudan behind closed doors, publicly issuing empty threats, which have resulted in conditions for the people of Sudan only becoming more desperate. It is time that Cameron and Obama took seriously the threat of a man who has killed over 2 million of his own civilians.
