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Sudan backs Kenya's stand on ICC

Tuesday April 10 2018
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Kenya's Deputy President William Ruto (centre) and Sudan's First Vice-President and Prime Minister Bakri Hassan (right) when the former arrived in Khartoum for a three-day state visit on April 9, 2018. PHOTO | DPPS

By MOHAMMED AMIN

Sudan has commended Kenya for standing up to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Sudan’s First Vice-President Bakri Hassan Salih, said Kenya's call for mass withdrawal from ICC was shared by the African Union (AU).

The court that issued a warrant of arrest for Sudanese President Omar Bashir, also tried Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto for their roles in the 2007-08 post election violence in the East African state.

The two cases were later dismissed.

Rome Statute

Mr Salih expressed the sentiments at a joint press conference in Khartoum where Mr Ruto began a three-day state visit on Monday.

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“We commend Kenya's position on the AU decision which calls on the African nations to withdraw from this court which only targets the African leaders,” he said.

Kenya, unlike Sudan, is a member of the Rome Statute which created ICC.

The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the fields of oil and minerals during President Kenyatta's visit to Sudan in October 2016.

Mr Ruto on Monday said that his visit was aimed at boosting ties between Nairobi and Khartoum at various levels.

Sudan and Kenya have a joint ministerial committee to facilitate and coordinate their ties.

Sudan is a leading importer of Kenya's tea, while it exports sorghum and sugar to the latter.

Transnational crimes

“As a region, we have all signed as a free trade area to establish a common market for the African continent with almost a billion people and that will facilitate the use of the resources that we have to develop our economies," Mr Ruto said.

He further pointed out that Sudan and Kenya will cooperate in the combating of terrorism, human trafficking and transnational crimes.

“Kenya will continue to work with the international community as you do in Sudan to ensure that we eliminate these threats, including terrorism,” he explained.

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