Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga hears the first-ever sentence delivered by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague on July 10, 2012. Gambia has announced its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, accusing the Hague-based tribunal of the "persecution and humiliation of people of colour, especially Africans". PHOTO | AFP
The Gambia has notified the United Nations that it is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court, the third African country to give formal notice of a pullout, a UN spokesman said Monday.
"We have received the official, formal notification, which has now been processed," UN spokesman Farhan Haq said.
Banjul's decision to pull out of the court struck a personal blow against the tribunal's chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, a Gambian lawyer and former justice minister.
Gambian Information Minister Sheriff Bojang charged that the ICC had been used "for the persecution of Africans and especially their leaders" while ignoring crimes committed by the West.