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AU: No problem on plans for merger of continental courts..
2008-07-25 10:03:22
By Hirondelle News Agency, Arusha
The African Union has approved a plan to merge African Human and Peoples` Rights court with African Court of Justice, Hirondelle Agency reports.
African Court Justice President Gerard Niyungeko said meeting of Heads of State in Egypt endorsed the plan which will enable Arusha-based African Court to execute its work as a single continental judicial organ.
But Justice Niyungeko underscored the need for non-governmental organisations and individuals to file cases before the court, an issue that was not agreed upon at the Summit.
Currently, the status of the court allows only states which have ratified to bring cases before the court.
Only Burkina Faso and Mali have issued declaration accepting the court's competence to entertain cases from individuals and NGOs.
Justice Niyungeko told Hirondelle that the Summit reminded member states which have not ratified the protocol establishing the African Court to do so as soon as possible.
So far, only 24 member states out of 53 African Union (AU) have ratified the Protocol, which entered into force in January, 2004.
Countries that have ratified the Protocol include Rwanda, which had seen one of the worst forms of human killings of the modern century in 1994.
Tanzania ratified the Protocol in February 2006, which paved the way for her to host the court.
Other countries are: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cote d'Ivoire, Comoros, Kenya, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Libya Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Nigeria, Niger, South Africa, Senegal, Togo, Tunisia and Uganda.
The court, unlike other AU organs, was empowered to give binding judgments enforceable against parties.
The court was established by the then Organisation of African Unity (OAU) Protocol adopted by members states in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in June 1998.
The court started its operations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in November 2006 but moved to its permanent seat in Arusha in August, last year.
Only the President of the court is permanently resident so far.
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