This book critically examines the issues pertaining to the Rome
Statute's complementarity principle. The focus lies on the primacy of
African states to prosecute alleged perpetrators of international crimes
in their respective jurisdictions. The chapters explore states'
international and domestic obligations to hold perpetrators of
international crimes to account before the national courts, and
demonstrate the complexity of enforcing national accountability of
alleged perpetrators of international crimes while also ensuring that
post-conflict African states achieve national healing, reconciliation,
and sustainable peace. The contributions reject impunity for
international crimes whilst also considering these complexities.
Emphasis further lies on the meaning of accountability in the context of
the politics of selective international criminal justice for crimes
committed before the establishment of the International Criminal Court.