Category Archives: African Union (AU)

Changing of the Guard: Bensouda In, Ocampo Out

Fatou Bensouda has officially replaced Luis Moreno-Ocampo (who is off to FIFA!) as the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. With dozens of writers and observers scrambling to publish their thoughts on what Bensouda’s tenure will and should focus … Continue reading

Posted in African Union (AU), Fatou Bensouda, Human Rights, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC) | 1 Comment

Does the ICC Need to Reconcile with Africa? Bensouda Comes Out Swinging

Fatou Bensouda, incoming Chief Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, has put threatening war criminals and defiant states on notice. In several recent public statements she has directly addressed two of the Court’s most significant challenges: the accusation that the … Continue reading

Posted in African Union (AU), Fatou Bensouda, ICC Prosecutor | 8 Comments

Playing to Lose: A Game of Hide-and-Seek with Kony

In the game of hide-and-seek, having a limited and mutually agreed upon physical space in which both the hider and the seeker participate is essential. When a child plays hide-and-seek with their parents, they don’t move into the next house, … Continue reading

Posted in African Union (AU), Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, United States | Tagged | 2 Comments

Beyond Famous – Invisible Children’s Follow-up to Kony2012

One month ago the US based organisation Invisible Children published their Kony 2012 video, campaigning for the arrest of Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony. The video went viral to an extent never witnessed before. Many people who had not heard … Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, African Union (AU), Central African Republic (CAR), Democratic Republic of Congo, Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), Southern Sudan, Uganda | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Hunting Kony – An Update on the US Deployment in Central Africa

In May 2010, the United States Government started officially taking more interest in the Lord’s Resistance Army conflict that had ravaged Central Africa, and in particular northern Uganda, for 24 years. President Barack Obama signed into law the ‘Lord’s Resistance … Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, African Union (AU), Central African Republic (CAR), Democratic Republic of Congo, Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), Southern Sudan, Uganda, United States, War crimes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Habré Case at the International Court of Justice – Belgium versus Senegal

A couple of months back I wrote a post on the efforts of international and Chadian human rights advocates to prosecute the former President of Chad, Hissene Habré. Habré is accused of killing and torturing thousands during his stay in … Continue reading

Posted in African Union (AU), Belgium, Chad, Crimes against humanity, Exile, Justice, Universal Jurisdiction | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Peacekeeping and International Criminal Law: The Abduction of 50 Peacekeepers in Darfur

According to several news agencies the Darfurian rebel group Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) has taken about 50 peacekeepers of the joint UN/AU Mission UNAMID hostage in Darfur on Sunday, 19 February 2012. The speaker of the movement, Gibril Adam … Continue reading

Posted in African Union (AU), Darfur, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), Sudan, UN Security Council, War crimes | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Is the ICC Racist?

I was tempted to answer the above question in JiC’s first-ever one-word post: “No.” However, in the past few weeks a number of individuals, including some whose views I respect greatly, have told me that they believe that the ICC … Continue reading

Posted in African Union (AU), International Criminal Court (ICC), UN Security Council | 37 Comments

The ICC’s got an African Prosecutor: Does it Matter?

Even since it became clear that Fatou Bensouda would succeed Luis Moreno-Ocampo as the ICC’s next top Prosecutor, I have wondered to what extent Bensouda‘s African background would matter. In particular, will the mere fact that Bensouda is Gambian and … Continue reading

Posted in African Union (AU), Fatou Bensouda, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), Sudan, United States, Zimbabwe | Leave a comment

No Limits for Justice? Universal Jurisdiction and the Case of Former Chadian President Hissene Habré

When we talk about justice in conflicts there is a potentially unlimited array of transitional justice mechanisms that could be brought to use in order to deal with atrocities committed during armed conflict. The first measures that come to mind … Continue reading

Posted in African Union (AU), Democratic Republic of Congo, Exile, Israel, Torture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments