Africa and the International Criminal Court

33 African states – 61 percent of the continent – are members of the International Criminal Court (ICC). They have ratified the Rome Statute, thereby giving the Court jurisdiction over war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Africa is the region with the greatest experience of international criminal justice because most of the Court’s investigations, trials, and appeals have concerned African actors. Relations between African states, the African Union, and the ICC fall into three related themes: Participation in ICC establishment; ICC interventions in African politics; and the ‘African backlash’ against the ICC.