Malawi: Banda prepared to arrest Al-Bashir

President Joyce Banda of Malawi has stated the country will cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) and arrest Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir if he attends the African Union summit in July. This position contradicts the African Union's instruction to member states not to cooperate with the ICC in this case, potentially creating tension between Malawi and other AU members. The move is viewed as a pragmatic effort to restore Malawi's international image and secure necessary foreign aid, following criticism of a previous visit by Al-Bashir. Additionally, the document notes Malawi's democratic progress through the repeal of a repressive media law, while expressing concern that President Banda has weakened civil society by co-opting its members into her cabinet.

• President Joyce Banda intends to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) by arresting Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir should he enter Malawi for the July African Union (AU) summit, despite the AU's directive to member states not to cooperate with the ICC on this case.
• Banda's willingness to arrest Al-Bashir is linked to the need to restore Malawi's international reputation and attract international aid, especially after external donors froze aid following Al-Bashir's previous unarrested visit to Malawi in October.
• While Malawi has shown democratic progress by repealing a Penal Code amendment that allowed the Minister of Information to ban publications, there are concerns that civil society is being weakened because President Banda has appointed several of its members to her cabinet.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). Malawi: Banda prepared to arrest Al-Bashir. https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/malawi-banda-prepared-to-arrest-al-bashir

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Malawi: Banda prepared to arrest Al-Bashir. n.d. https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/malawi-banda-prepared-to-arrest-al-bashir.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=Malawi: Banda prepared to arrest Al-Bashir |url=https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/malawi-banda-prepared-to-arrest-al-bashir |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudiesndmalawi, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{Malawi: Banda prepared to arrest Al-Bashir}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/malawi-banda-prepared-to-arrest-al-bashir}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }