JOHANNESBURG: South Africa will withdraw from the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC), media reports in Johannesburg said Friday, sparking rapid criticism from rights bodies. The decision follows a dispute last year when South Africa allowed Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to visit the country for an African Union summit, despite him facing an arrest warrant from the ICC. South Africa said he had immunity as the head of a member state. South Africa is a signatory of the ICC, which wants Bashir arrested for alleged war crimes related to the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan. Some African governments say the ICC, which was established in 2002, has shown a post-colonial bias against the continent’s leaders.

Source: Manila Times October 21, 2016 07:52 UTC