The President of The Gambia, Adama Barrow has announced that his country will not leave the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In October last year, the country then under the leadership of now exiled leader Yahya Jammeh stated that it was pulling out of the Court after accusing it of humiliating Africans.
Then Gambian Information Minister Sheriff Bojang said the court had ignored crimes committed in Europe. He told the state media then that the ICC was “an International Caucasian Court for the persecution and humiliation of people of colour, especially Africans”.
The new President of the Gambia, Mr. Barrow however during a meeting with a top European Union representative in Banjul said his country will remain with the ICC.
Neven Mimica who is the EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development is visiting The Gambia for relations talks with its leader.
.@BarrowOfficial1 confirms #TheGambia is to rejoin @IntlCrimCourt . Excellent news & very good signal of re-engagement w/ int’l community.
— Neven Mimica (@MimicaEU) February 9, 2017
The African Union (AU) last month sanctioned a mass withdrawal of member states from the International Criminal Court (ICC) but this will not be binding.
The decision was taken at the AU’s heads of state summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The AU is however pushing for reforms within the ICC as it prepares to hold talks with the UN Security Council.
The ICC’s chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, is a former Gambian justice minister.
Source: Africafeeds.com
