A Ugandan official said his government would consider granting asylum to al-Bashir because of his role in mediating a peace deal in neighbouring South Sudan.

“If Uganda is approached to grant asylum to Bashir it is an issue that can be considered at the highest level of our leadership,” Henry Okello Oryem, state minister for foreign affairs, told AFP news agency.

Al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide and war crimes relating to the conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region.