African academics, civil and government representatives have welcomed African nations’s decision to exit the International Criminal Court.
Delegates from over 29 African states are gathered in Centurion to try and find lasting solutions to Africa’s challenges.
The programme has debated A d perceptions of bias against Africans levelled against the ICC.
Africa’s leading political and social thinkers discussing ways to solve the continent’s problems. Delegates are calling for similar engagements but at the highest levels of government.
This as the continent tries to resolve tensions in Burundi and the high profile withdrawals from the International Criminal Court by South Africa, Kenya and Gambia.
Burundian delegate Dr Catherine Buomi says: “It is a very good platform for us and I hope it will continue and involve more people from civil society because we Africans have to find our own solutions and not import other concepts and apply it to our people.”
Youths and people for Uganda Elly Lukwago says: “We need to find African solutions to African problems. We need to offer leadership -especially the youth.”
Some commentators are scathing though, about the motives behind the three nations’ withdrawals from the Rome Statute.
Political Commentator Shadrack Gutto says:”So the majority of cases there were sent by African leaders and now they are trying to tell the citizens that the international system is against Africans and so on, why did we participate.”
This programme has been running since 2011 and 29 out of Africa’s 52 states are currently participants.
[Source: SABC]
