Benson Olugbuo

The Domestic Implementation of the Rome Statute in Sub-saharan Africa: a Discussion on the Strategies, Problems and Prospects of Fighting Impunity in the African Continent Benson Olugbuo

On July 17 1998, the treaty of the International Criminal Court known as the Rome Statute was adopted in a United Nations sponsored plenipotentiary conference in Rome, Italy. The Statute entered into force on 1st July 2002, which resulted in the establishment of the Court. It has the jurisdiction to hold accountable those who are responsible for the crimes of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression. The seat of the Court is in The Hague, Netherlands although the Court may sit elsewhere, whenever considers it desirable, as provided in the treaty. All the current situations before the Court are from Africa while there are other countries currently under analysis by the ICC. Exploring the involvement of African states in the adoption of the Rome Statute and how they have fared in the domestic implementation of the Rome Statute offers an opportunity for soul searching for the continent on how to overcome the myriad of problems confronting it's growth and development including impunity for international crimes as a result of conflicts that have plagued it for decades.