South Africa says its troops weren’t ‘held hostage’ in Sudan, but the soldiers tell another story

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — The strange story of the Sudanese president's trip to South Africa, in defiance of an arrest warrant for war crimes, just got even more perplexing.

South African soldiers are claiming that while Omar al-Bashir was in Johannesburg attending the African Union summit, Sudanese troops encircled and intimidated a South African battalion to ensure Bashir's safe return.

It was reported that the South Africans, who are in Darfur as part of a joint African Union/United Nations mission, had been "held hostage" in Sudan over Bashir.

The South African National Defence Force has denied the reports, stating: "There is no iota of truth in these allegations. There is equally no substance to support these allegations."

A spokesman for the UN secretary general said that "South African troops were not held hostage or under any threat as was reported in the media."

But a number of South African soldiers have stated otherwise. A veteran defense correspondent for Afrikaans-language Netwerk24 reports that some 800 soldiers at military bases in Kutum, Mellit and Malha were "held hostage" by Sudanese troops.

The troops reportedly withdrew when Bashir arrived safely home in Khartoum Monday, to cheering crowds.

“We were so scared — we were surrounded by soldiers. We handed out extra ammunition to all our troops in case they needed it,” one soldier told Netwerk24.

"I am so grateful South Africa did not arrest al-Bashir. Our commander said after al-Bashir arrived safely in the country, the soldiers withdrew," said a message sent by another soldier in Darfur to friends in South Africa.

The labor union representing South African soldiers said it "has no reason to doubt" this report.

Separately, a relative of another South African serving in Sudan called into a local radio station to say that her camp had been "surrounded" by Sudanese soldiers.

Bashir, who flew into Johannesburg on his presidential plane late Saturday and left before the end of the AU summit Monday, is the subject of arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur.

A South African court ruled Monday that Bashir must be arrested — but only after the Sudanese president had already left the country, defying an earlier court order. Attorneys for the South African government have been given a week to report back explaining how Bashir was able to leave. The episode is worrying in a country that previously showed strong support for the ICC and its mandate. (If you missed the other details of this caper, catch up here.)

At a late-night media briefing Monday, AU chairman Robert Mugabe said that South African President Jacob Zuma had promised Bashir wouldn't be arrested while attending the summit.

“He [Zuma] said President Bashir would not be arrested, as he would not allow police here to arrest him," Mugabe said.

The AU has decided not to cooperate with the ICC, which it criticizes as being biased against African leaders, but al-Bashir had for years avoided South Africa along with other countries that are signatories to the Rome Statute, under which the ICC was established. According to this treaty, which South Africa incorporated into its own national law, al-Bashir should have been arrested and handed over to the ICC.