V11 PICTURES: Al Bashir Flees To Zimbabwe?

There’s been reports that ousted former President of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir could have fled to Zimbabwe.

According to the Daily News a private jet hired by President Emmerson Mnangagwa from Dubai made a stop in Khartoum on Tuesday.

The former president himself or his family could have flown into exile to Zimbabwe, various sources said.

The Sudanese Embassy in Zimbabwe, however, said they are unaware of any such developments. They told the Daily News:

We don’t have any information about that. He is in Khartoum; his family is also in Khartoum. He is sick, he is facing treason charges. I don’t think so. There are no flights. The president is in prison. If it’s true, the Military Council will face problems.

Zimbabwe is currently home to the exiled ex-Ethiopian military ruler, Mengistu Haile Mariam, who has a death sentenced passed on him by his country’s Supreme Court.

The Boeing 737-700 IGW with tail number A6-RJX’s flight plan shows it flew to the Sudanese capital, Khartoum from Abu Dhabi en-route to Zimbabwe where it had been summoned to ferry Mnangagwa who wanted the aircraft to transport him to Bulawayo from Harare for the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair, which was officially opened by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni yesterday.

Curiously, Uganda’s government last week indicated it is willing to offer asylum to Sudan’s ousted president.

The plane’s stopover in Sudan is very intriguing given that Sudan’s ruling military council has imposed a no-fly-zone over the country.

It’s not clear why the no-fly-zone was waivered for Mnangagwa’s flight.

The flight departed Abu Dhabi International Airport at 19:27hrs on Tuesday evening, arriving in Khartoum at 21:31hrs the same evening.

It stopped over in Khartoum for one hour and 15 minutes, then departed for Harare at 22:46hrs, finally arriving in Harare on the wee hours of Wednesday morning at 03:28am.