Sudan authorities detain rights delegates to AU summit News
Sudan authorities detain rights delegates to AU summit

[JURIST] Delegates from human rights groups sent to attend the African Union summit [official agenda] now underway in Khartoum were detained Sunday by Sudanese authorities. Representatives of Amnesty International [advocacy website], Anti-Slavery International [advocacy website] and the International Bar Association [advocacy website] were among those taken into custody, without explanation, by Sudanese security forces. The delegates are at the summit to discuss cooperation with the African Union [official website] on human rights issues, especially in Sudan's Darfur region [JURIST news archive]. This development may fuel prior objections [JURIST report] against Sudan President Omar al-Bashir's [profile] bid to assume the rotating president of the 53-member AU. Some African countries are urging Sudan to withdraw its candidacy in an effort to improve the continent's image. Reuters has more.