African civil society groups yesterday urged the AU not to elect Sudanese President Omar Bashir to head the 53-member body, arguing his government’s role in the conflict in the troubled western Darfur region should make him ineligible. Representatives of nearly 40 African non-governmental organizations dealing with human rights, health issues and conflict resolution said Bashir’s selection to lead the pan-African body would destroy its international credibility and crater ongoing AU-mediated Darfur peace talks.Despite Sudan’s widely criticized human rights record and the roles Khartoum and its proxy militia are accused of playing in rampant atrocities in Darfur, AU leaders are expected next week to consider Bashir for the presidency of the bloc, currently held by Nigeria’s Olesegun Obasanjo. The groups did not offer an opinion as to who the next AU chief should be but noted the key role Obasanjo has played thus far in shepherding the Darfur peace talks in Abuja.