The Hague not bound by AU vote on Bashir

The spokesman said he thought the African Union’s decisions were immediately binding on members, so Bashir would not have to wait for further approval from the parliaments of each state.

Al-Sadig added he was not aware of any immediate plans for the president to embark on a wider African tour.

Gross rights violations

Rights group Amnesty International criticised the AU vote, saying it undermined the credibility of the 53-member body.

“This decision by the African Union member states shows a disdain for those in Darfur who suffered gross human rights violation and makes a mockery of the AU as an international body,” said Amnesty Africa director Erwin van der Borght.

“By supporting a wanted person accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, it undermines the credibility of states which are party to the Rome Statute and the AU as a whole.”

Washington accuses President Bashir of committing genocide during the conflict in Darfur, that surged in 2003 when mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms against the Sudan government, accusing it of neglecting the western region.

Estimates of the death count range from 10,000, according to Khartoum, to 300,000, according the United Nations. Sudan accuses Western media of exaggerating the violence.