Britain has called on Chad to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir while he visits N'Djamena for a regional summit.

British Foreign Office Minister for Africa Mark Simmonds said the government of Chad should meet its international obligations and arrest Sudan's president on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in the Darfur conflict during his expected visit to the country. 

 

Simmonds also added it would be the third time Chad did not heed the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for al-Bashir, if he was not arrested. 

"The UK expects Chad to stand by its obligations and will be disappointed if it does not do so," the UK’s Foreign Office minister said in a statement on Saturday. 

Al-Bashir is expected to attend the Community of Sahel-Saharan (CEN-SAD) summit this weekend. 

The fighting in the Darfur region originally broke out in 2003 when elements opposed to the government in Khartoum launched an armed struggle for more autonomy. 

South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in July 2011 as part of a 2005 peace treaty, which ended decades of war between the two sides.