Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, presented her twenty sixth report on the situation pursuant to Council resolution 1593 (2005)

She noted that since submitting her last one, President Omar al Bashir of Sudan had travelled to a number of countries, some of which were States parties to the Rome Statute and all of which were United Nations Member States.

Those countries had not fulfilled their obligation to arrest and surrender President Bashir into the Court’s custody, she said, noting his recent travels to South Africa, Jordan, Uganda, Chad, and the Russian Federation.  Expressing regret over the Security Council’s inaction in the face of that non fulfilment, she said it emboldened others to invite Mr. Bashir, safe in the knowledge that there would be no consequences.

She went on to invite Sudan to rethink its antagonistic posture towards the Court, emphasizing that its work was essential to fighting impunity.  President Bashir and the other suspects were alleged to have committed serious crimes against the people of Darfur, including murder, torture and persecution, she pointed out.  Underlining that time was on the side of justice rather than the side of the perpetrators, she pledged the Court’s commitment to victims.