Although I entirely disagree with the African Union’s decision not to fall in line behind the International Criminal Court’s indictment of Sudan’s President Omas al-Bashir, I understand the driving sentiment. As a general rule African nation states are wary of being dictated to from the West, and they tend to circle the laager, to appropriate a South African term, when they feel as if the west is encroaching on African sovereignty.
That said, I am pleased to know that much of South Africa’s civil society is pressuring Jacob Zuma to ignore the AU decision and to support the ICC indictment. This is a purely symbolic moment — Bashir is not likely to fly into Johannesberg in the near future and even if Zuma backs the court decision it will not mean that South Africa is going to go after Bashir. But the idea of South Africa breaking from the AU, and possibly providing another path of leadership, is reassuring. Now we shall see how Zuma responds.
