The Implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in African Countries

This is a compilation of the status of the implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in African countries.

More than half of the 54 African countries have ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. This indicates an acknowledgement that firstly, post-conflict peacebuilding is threatened by the widespread lack of accountability among those responsible for violent conflicts; and secondly, that national judicial systems are often too weak to cope with the burden of rendering justice for international crimes, such as war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

The widespread ratification is a remarkable achievement when one considers the myriad of challenges on the continent. But ratification is a first step.

In order to fully comply with their responsibilities under the Rome Statute, it is necessary for states to draft and give effect to domestic implementation legislation that will incorporate the Rome Statute’s obligations into their national legal systems.

To access the CD-ROM, download the ZIP archive, unZIP the file and open the file '001-start-here.html'