Sudan's leader Omar al-Bashir (center-left) and Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang (center-right) meet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China on on June 29. Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes, is on a four-day visit to China.

A handout picture released by the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) on May 28, shows a truck piled high with looted items as it drives past businesses and homesteads locally known as 'tukuls' burning in the centre of the disputed Sudanese central town of Abyei which was overrun by President Omar al-Bashir's northern troops and tanks last week. Abyei's capture in the run-up to international recognition of southern independence in July has been condemned by the world powers as a threat to peace between north and south.