The Challenges Facing the International Criminal Court in Prosecuting Cases of Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes

Abstract

This article examines the role of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in dealing with matters of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes that have increasingly become common phenomena in politics. Indeed, so far there is scanty detailed scholarly research that has been documented on the activities of the ICC. To a large extent, the creation of the ICC marks a clear indication of institutionalising the international system of war crimes justice. The future success of the ICC depends on a number of issues including: revisiting of the Rome Statute that created the ICC to facilitate its optimum functioning; and deliberate efforts by the ICC to have most, if not all nation-states, as members so as to secure global legitimacy; and the ability of the ICC to balance out the competing interests of peace and justice in the pursuit of its core endeavours.