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Sudanese President Wanted by ICC Plans to Attend World Cup Final

Sudanese President Wanted by ICC Plans to Attend World Cup Final

(Bloomberg) -- Sudanese President Umar al-Bashir plans to attend the soccer World Cup final in Russia, the latest trip for the leader whose arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court restricts which countries he can visit.

Al-Bashir’s plan to attend the July 15 match between France and Croatia follows an invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin, Sudan’s presidency said Thursday in a statement. During his three-day trip, al-Bashir will also hold talks on Russia’s efforts to help modernize Sudan’s army, it said.

The Hague-based ICC accuses al-Bashir of war crimes and genocide in Sudan’s western Darfur region and issued a warrant for him in 2009. Rights groups regularly call for countries he does visit to arrest him. He visited Russia in November, when the two governments announced plans for military cooperation.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mohammed Alamin in Khartoum at malamin1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Paul Richardson at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net, Michael Gunn, Robert Brand

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