South Africa's withdrawal from the International Criminal Court could encourage a large-scale African exodus from the court and entrench impunity, warned the justice and peace commission of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference.
South Africa announced on October 21 that it would withdraw from the court, which is tasked with prosecuting war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
"Given the increasing levels of political instability, manipulation of terms limits and democratic reversals," Africa needs strong deterrence mechanisms against genocide and other crimes "that shock the conscience of humanity," the commission said in an October 24 statement.
