Justice beyond the international criminal court: towards a regional framework in Africa

Abstract

The last decade has seen a deterioration of the relationship between Africa and the International Criminal Court. Their interaction has been characterised by differences in the understanding of justice, allegations of bias and non-cooperation. Increased efforts by some African countries to create an alternative regional framework for justice can also be seen. This research report is interested in Africa’s criticisms of the International Criminal Court and will demonstrate these through the case studies of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and Sudan. Lastly, it will consider the potential of Africa's regional mechanisms for justice, in responding to the criticisms raised against the International Criminal Court. As such, it will evaluate the experiences of the Extraordinary African Chambers and the Special Court for Sierra Leone, extracting possible lessons and concluding on the prospects for the delivery of criminal justice in Africa, in the context of the African Court for Human and People’s Rights