The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal based in the Hague, Netherlands.
The court has a jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
The court initially had 125 members, but the withdrawal of Burundi, the first nation to do since the inception of the court in 2002, means it now has 124 members.
More African states seem likely to follow in Burundi’s steps as South Africa has already announced its decision to withdraw from the court.
Kenya too has had concerns with the ICC’s treatment of African states, saying the court does not respect African leaders.
The ICC is currently dealing with many cases from Africa, and the exit of African states would be a big blow for it.
But how exactly does the ICC’s mandate work? And when does the court step in when it comes to putting war criminals on trial?
