Uganda’s Museveni vows to pull out of “partisan” ICC

February 14, 2016 (KAMPALA) – Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who faces seven challengers in the country’s general elections, has vowed to pull of the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC).

“The ICC is not serious, it is partisan, it is not balanced, it is not very serious,” the Ugandan president said during Saturday’s presidential debate ahead of Thursday’s polls.

Early this month, however, members of the African Union backed a Kenyan proposal to push for withdrawal from the ICC over claims it targets Africa.

Established in 2002 to try war criminals and perpetrators of genocide never tried at home, the ICC has opened inquiries involving nine nations, including Kenya, Ivory Coast, Libya, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Uganda, Mali and, most recently, Georgia.

At the summit, however, no legally binding decision was made, and the decision to leave the world court can be decided by individual nations.

Currently, about a third of the ICC member states are in the African continent.

(ST)