Africa and International Criminal Justice: Radical Evils and the International Criminal Court

This book provides an overview of crimes under international law, radical evils, in a number of African states. This overview informs a critical analysis of the debates surrounding the African Union's call for withdrawal from the International Criminal Court and proposes a way forward with a more pertinent role for the Court.

The work critically analyzes the arguments around withdrawal from the ICC and the extension of the jurisdiction of the African Court into criminal matters. It is held that this was not intended in the spirit of complementarity as envisaged by the Rome Statute, and is subject to political calculation and manipulation by national governments. Recasting the ICC as a court of second instance would provide a stronger institutional and jurisdictional regime.

The book will be a valuable resource for students, academics, and policymakers working in the areas of international humanitarian law, international criminal law, African studies, and genocide studies.

Professor Fred Aja Agwu is the acting director of Research and Studies of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos, Nigeria.