An interesting Op Ed in the NY Times by Hon. Kofi Annan. This got me thinking about my first reaction and the paper I wrote this past semester on this issue.
The arrest warrant for the President of Sudan, Omar Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir ("Omar Al Bashir") on March 4, 2009 triggered different reactions from states, international organizations, and deep concern and regret from the African Union (AU). The concern among many commentators is whether this sets a precedent for other heads of state and private actors that are not party to the Rome Statute. Furthermore, some critics view the warrant as a "neo-colonialist policy used by the West against free and independent [African] countries.
Now, ICC is under scrutiny. Is this a one step forward and a jump backwards or just a fork that needs to be decided before taking any route? I applaud Hon. Annan and others for this effort however, I am still divided on ICC. Agreed that majoritiy of the cases which happens to come from Africa were reffered by government, I don't think anyone questioned the motive until ICC stepped futher to go after Al Bashir.
I still have my doubts, no wonder Zuma made that comment the other day. Of course I disagree with him but may be what he had meant to say was for ICC to respect African states and go about justice the right way.
The next question on my mind is what is AU doing about this? When are they going to step up and handle their business instead of letting outsiders do it for them and then, they complain?
AU...stand up and do the right thing....
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