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Some African leaders reject mass ICC withdrawal

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Some African leaders have rejected a strategy calling for a collective withdrawal from the International Criminal Court.

The non-binding decision to withdraw came behind closed doors on Tuesday, near the end of an African Union summit.

It follows decisions by South Africa, Gambia and Burundi which are readying to withdraw from the world body.

Researcher at African Institute of South Africa Frank Lekaba says, “People act on things according to their own experiences and interests; if you look carefully… countries that are opposed to the attempt to withdraw from the ICC, those who are leading, are countries that have experienced conflicts, and their regions are experiencing conflict…”

“I just think that ultimately it will have serious implications for the UN membership, because Africa constitutes huge numbers in the General Assembly of the UN – so if they decide to withdraw from the ICC now they will later raise the issue of representation in the UN Security Council, and they might as well ultimately withdraw from the General Assembly,” adds Lekaba.

Listen to full interview.

– By SABC

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