The indictment of Omar al-Bashir, the President of Sudan by the International Criminal Court (ICC) should be a warning to African leaders that in the rapidly globalizing world, they are under keen watch from the international community. On the other hand, it also highlights that we do not have a stronger regional body in the continent.  

The appeal by the African Union (AU) that the warrant of arrest be momentarily suspended brings a twist to the entire saga.  Whereas the AU reiterates that justice should be pursued in a way that will not jeopardize peace efforts, China on the other hand expresses great concern that the move should be conducive to safeguarding the stability of Sudan and proper resolution of the Darfur region rather than the contrary.

Could the AU be reading an embedded cold war between the West and China over Darfur? Justice ought not plunge a country into war, more bloodshed and displacement. Where is the ICC in the Niger Delta, Zimbabwe, Chad, and Congo amongst others?

The ICC’s indictment on al – Bashir is a demonstration of the AU's impotence in solving African problems.