The International Criminal Court (ICC), established in 2002, has to-date initiated investigations exclusively in Sub-Saharan Africa. The ICC Prosecutor has opened cases against 16 individuals for alleged crimes in northern Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, and the Darfur region of Sudan. In addition, the Prosecutor is investigating post-election violence in Kenya and analyzing situations—a preliminary step toward initiating a full investigation—in Guinea and several other African countries. Interest in the work of the ICC in Africa has arisen from concern over gross human rights violations on the African continent.
However, the ICC’s role in addressing impunity in Africa has provoked reactions in some circles and some critics feel that the position of the ICC jeopardises peace process on the continent. Is it a new form of imperialism? The debate will seek to address the challenges and the dilemmas of the justice versus peace debate and how it impacts sustainable peace in Africa.
