The ICC: A Global Court to Fight Impunity or a Court Targeting Africans
James E. Archibong*
Citation : James E. Archibong, The ICC: A Global Court to Fight Impunity or a Court Targeting Africans International Journal of Humanities Social Sciences and Education 2019, 6(8) : 22-32.
The adoption of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) marked a turning point in the quest for accountability for victims of horrendous international crimes. Since the commencement inception of trial in 2002, only persons from Africa have been arraigned despite copious evidence of similar crimes in other parts of the world. This has incurred the wrath of African leaders, alleging unfairness, neocolonialism and bias. Ordinary Africans, the victims of gross human rights violations, however, applaud the trials given the unfair, manipulative and unworkable nature of national justice system in Africa. The question therefore arises as to whether the ICC is biased against Africans. There is no doubt that the ICC has focused on Africa, ignoring heinous crimes prevalent in non-African countries. While its efforts at ending impunity and enthroning accountability in Africa is commendable, the ICC should also turn its search light on other parts of the world. This is the only way the Court can justify its creation, assume the status of custodian and dispenser of international criminal justice and divest itself of the paraphernalia of neocolonialism bestowed on it by African leaders.