Sudanese President Omar Bashir missed his planned departure for the African summit in Togo because of a "minor" health problem, a source at the presidential palace said early Monday.
The source told AFP that the problem was "minor" when asked to confirm reports from Togolese organizers that the president had taken ill and could not attend the Organization of African Unity summit (OAU), which opens Monday in Lome.
The source did not say whether or not the president, who is reported to be in his late fifties, would leave later for the summit.
A duty officer at Khartoum airport also told AFP the president had not left for Lome, though the official SUNA news agency had reported earlier he was to leave for Togo Sunday night. The officer gave no reason for Bashir's failure to leave Sunday.
The Sudanese cabinet also missed its regular weekly meeting on Sunday.
Bashir or First Vice President Ali Osman Mohammed Taha usually presides over that meeting - KHARTOUM (AFP)
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