AFRICAN LEADERS TO DISCUSS THEIR MASS WITHDRAWAL FROM ICC:

PHOTO: African Leaders during the past AU summit in Ethiopia. African leaders are planning to endorse a motion to withdraw from the ICC.

MASS WITHDRAWAL FROM ICC, MAIN AGENDA IN THIS YEARS’ AU SUMMIT

By Maritim Kipngetich

In this year’s summit, the African Union leaders are planning to endorse the Malabo protocol that was adopted during the last AU summit in Equatorial Guinea.
The protocol seeks to withdraw Africa states from the International Criminal Court (ICC) as well as give exemption to all ruling leaders from attending charges while they are still in power.

The move to withdraw Africans States from ICC was triggered by Kenyan cases.

African leaders believe that ICC is targeting African leaders because since it came into existence in 2002, only African leaders have been the one being tried in the court.

At stake is the future of a court whose creation was touted as a major breakthrough in ensuring that those who commit crimes against humanity do not escape justice — a dream that African nations, more than any other region in the world , signed up for. Now, however, the African Union is campaigning against the court, with some leaders voicing disillusionment and saying that justice does not seem to be equally applied around the globe.
Major crimes in Syria, Columbia and Afghanistan have gone unpunished. African leaders are complaining that similar cases in other parts of the world are being ignored and it seems race is a factor in court’s decision-making.

PHOTO: ICC headquarters at The Hague, The Netherlands.

Any mayhem in African soil attracts the attention of the court with Libyan incident, where the late President Moammar Gaddafi was forcefully ousted out of power, being a major example. The UN Security Council was quick to authorise the ICC to investigate what was happening and to arrest the president and his son.

Although mass withdrawal of the African States from ICC may seem necessary to African leaders, it casts doubts whether a criminal court they intend to establish will be able to handle crimes against humanity committed by African leaders. The outcome of the Summit will tell the future relationship of ICC and African States.