AU Advisory Committee recommends Africa to pull out of ICC

The African Union Advisory Committee that was charged to come up with a joint position on the International Criminal Court (ICC), has recommended that the union to pull out of the court accusing it of lacking objectivity.

The committee is understood to have recommended that AU member states quit the ICC unless it meets three conditions, including giving heads of state immunity from prosecution.

This made the International Criminal Court to come under fire at the ongoing African Union Summit for allegedly failing to uphold principles of the international justice system.

The Hague-based court was accused by AU officials of bias toward African countries and lacking fairness. With 10 active investigations, only one is outside Africa.

Kenya’s government is among several in Africa that have considered leaving the ICC.

Those who oppose leaving the ICC say withdrawal would leave African nations with less protection against human rights abuses.

Some African countries have failed to honor the ICC statue by not arresting the Sudan’s president Omar al- Bashir in protest to the court’s biasness.

This has strongly been condemned by multiple European countries including the US who have gone ahead to issue sanctions to Sudan and further condemn countries opposing the ICC.