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| Africa Horn |
| Sudan's Bashir threatens to expel poll observers |
| 2010-03-24 |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir threatened on Monday to expel international election observers after they said April's vote may have to be delayed. "We brought these organizations from outside to monitor the elections, but if they ask for them to be delayed, we will throw them out," Bashir said in comments broadcast on state TV. "We wanted them to see the free and fair elections, but if they interfere in our affairs, we will cut their fingers off, put them under our shoes, and throw them out," Bashir added. I certainly hope that statement makes more sense in Arabic than it does in English... The only long-term international observer mission in Sudan said last week that the country may need a slight delay in its first multi-party elections in 24 years to deal with logistical problems, with hundreds of thousands of names missing from the voters' list weeks before the polls. Carter Center officials issued a report saying Sudan's April presidential and legislative elections remained "at risk on multiple fronts" and urged Sudan to lift harsh restrictions on rallies and end fighting in Darfur ahead of the ballot. The Center declined to comment until it was able to review the president's speech. Bashir expelled major aid agencies from Darfur after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him in March last year for war crimes in Darfur. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Help me out here! What goes under the shoes, the observers or just their cut-off fingers? If Dhimmi himself goes, maybe Omar can show us. |
| Posted by: Spot 2010-03-24 08:12 |