Editor’s note: As part of its special issue on Africa, Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism 11(1) dedicates its features section to exploring the socio-political and historical role of Africa in the International Criminal Court (ICC). The following is an introduction to that section and also appears in Issue 11(1).
By Evropi Chatzipanagiotidou
Since its establishment, the ICC has concentrated its investigations and operations on the region, applying international law to prosecute large-scale crimes often committed in the context of ethnic conflicts and processes of nation-building. However, recent critiques from a variety of sources, including the African Union, have charged the ICC with jeopardising peace, prolonging ethnic conflict and threatening the national sovereignty of African states. These issues have sparked a number of public and academic debates centring around the role of the Court and the effects of its operation in Africa.