ICC is Africa’s ‘most credible court of last resort’ says Kofi Annan

Kofi Annan, the former United Nations Secretary General, has said that the International Criminal Court (ICC) is an institution that has and rightfully deserves the support of Africa. This is because it ‘‘remains the continent’s most credible court of last resort for the most serious crimes.” Annan, who is a strong advocate for the court said despite its imperfections, the ICC had the support of the people of Africa, particularly the victims of war crimes and crimes against humanity in an article written for the UK-based ‘The Guardian,’.

‘‘Most of the continent’s democratic governments stand by the ICC. I stand by the ICC, because the most heinous crimes must not go unpunished,” he said.

The ICC does not supercede national jurisdictions. It only interferes in cases where the country concerned is either unable or unwilling to try its own citizens. Africans deserve justice as much as anyone else, even if their governments cannot always provide it. Annan’s comments occured in the wake of withdrawal moves by three African countries in the recent past. They are Burundi, the Gambia and South Africa. All these countries are all in the process of withdrawing from the Hague-based court.