Plea for delay in Bashir’s indictment

THE African Union will ask the UN Security Council to suspend action for a year on an indictment of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Darfur genocide charges, Nigeria’s foreign affairs minister said last night.

The African Union will make the request to allow progress in negotiations to end the five year old conflict in Darfur, Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister Ojo Maduekwe told journalists at the end of an emergency meeting of the African Union’s Peace and Security Council.

“Our concern is the timing and how this could impact on the peace process in Sudan,” said Maduekwe.