Abeokuta: International criminal law course & training-of-trainers
26-29 November 2019, Abeokuta, Nigeria Click here for all pictures. To supplement and sustain their ongoing capacity-building efforts in Nigeria, the Wayamo Foundation and the International Nuremberg Principles Academy held the first of two international criminal law courses with a training-of-trainers (ToT) component. The objective of the ToT programme is to support and further equip selected institutions with the necessary skills in and knowledge of international criminal law to pass on to their network of relevant legal actors around Nigeria. The course was attended by handpicked members of all three branches of the Nigerian Armed Forces and participants from the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) and National Judicial Institute (NJI). The event was officially opened by Wayamo Foundation Director, Bettina Ambach, and Natacha Bracq in her capacity as Senior Officer for Training and Capacity Building at the International Nuremberg Principles Academy. They welcomed the participants and thanked them for making the effort to travel across the country to the training venue in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State. Philipp Ambach, Head ofthe Victims Participation and Reparations Section at the International Criminal Court (ICC), initiated the proceedings with an informative introduction to international criminal law, and a detailed review of the
Independent strategic review of the ICC: three AGJA members have been selected
The States Parties to the International Criminal Court (ICC) met last week from 2-7 December at the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) in The Hague, Netherlands. During this week, nine experts were appointed to conduct an independent and strategic review of the Court. The experts will be working on the three clusters identified by the ASP Bureau: Governance, Judiciary, and Investigation & Prosecution. The Africa Group for Justice and Accountability (AGJA) is very pleased to announce that three of its members have been selected to be part of the independent expert review process, namely: – Hassan B. Jallow, Chief Justice of The Gambia and Chair of the Africa Group for Justice and Accountability – Mohamed C. Othman, Former Chief Justice of Tanzania – Richard Goldstone, Former Chief Prosecutor of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia
Signature of Memorandum of Understanding with IGAD
Friday 20 September 2019, Berlin: Mahboub Maalim, IGAD Executive Secretary and Bettina Ambach, Wayamo Foundation Director, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU covers enhancing regional networking and building the capacity of judicial actors in the IGAD region. IGAD and Wayamo will work together to ensure regional cooperation through the “Network of Heads of Public Prosecutions and Criminal Investigations in the East African Region” (the Network), and the enhancement of existing capacity (through training workshops) of investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers to respond to transnational security threats. The overall aim of the Network is to strengthen the rule of law by ensuring effective investigation and prosecution of complex crimes and intensifying inter-agency collaboration at the regional level. The Network’s four main functions are to: act as an avenue for regional and cross-border collaboration and mutual legal assistance in international and transnational criminal cases; promote and encourage collaboration among investigators and prosecutors by following an inter-agency approach; serve as a think-tank and foster discussions about emerging crime patterns as well as a forum to share information and formulate strategies to counter new security threats; and develop effective training and capacity building programmes in order to strengthen the relevant crime units of
Justice Talks: Mahboub Maalim, Executive Secretary of IGAD
Mahboub Maalim, Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), talks to Wayamo’s Co-ordinator for East Africa, Judie Kaberia about the importance of institutional cooperation and information sharing in the East African region. According to Maalim, the newly established Network of Directors of Public Prosecutions (DPPs) and Directors of Criminal Investigations (DCIs) is a crucial step towards enhanced information sharing and cross-border collaboration. On 30 July 2019, the Wayamo Foundation hosted the fifth Network meeting of the DPPs, DCIs and Deputy Attorneys-General from Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Djibouti, Somalia and Ethiopia. The overall aim of the DPP and DCI network is to strengthen the rule of law by ensuring effective investigation and prosecution of complex crimes and intensifying inter-agency collaboration at the regional level. The event was funded through the Better Migration Management (BMM) programme. BMM is a regional, multi-year, multi-partner programme funded by the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development (BMZ). The overall objective is to improve migration management in the Horn of Africa, and in particular to address the trafficking and smuggling of migrants within and from the region. — Justice Talks are a series of
Justice Talks: Martin Kyere, sole survivor of massacre
Martin Kyere, the sole survivor of a massacre committed by agents of the regime of former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, joins Wayamo Deputy Director Mark Kersten to discuss his quest for accountability. Kyere has led efforts to achieve justice for the murder and enforced disappearance at least 44 Ghanaian citizens who were killed by members of the National Intelligence Agency in 2005. On 21-22 March 2019, the Wayamo Foundation the Africa Group for Justice and Accountability (AGJA), in collaboration with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung’s Rule of Law Programme for Sub-Saharan Africa and with the support of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre and the School of Law of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) hosted an International Symposium on the theme, “West African International Justice – Leadership, Challenges, and Opportunities”, where Martin Kyere was a participant. The event took place in Accra, Ghana. — Justice Talks are a series of interviews about justice and accountability in Africa and beyond, featuring experts and leaders from the fields of human rights, international criminal law, politics and civil society. For more videos from Wayamo Foundation and the Africa Group for Justice and Accountability, visit our YouTube channel.
Justice Talks: Human Rights lawyer Reed Brody
Human Rights lawyer Reed Brody joins Mark Kersten, Deputy Director of the Wayamo Foundation, for a discussion on justice and accountability for international crimes in West Africa. In the interview, Reed shares his personal and professional insights into the successful campaign to bring former Chadian dictator Hissène Habré to account as well as the ongoing efforts to do the same for former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh. On 21-22 March 2019, the Wayamo Foundation the Africa Group for Justice and Accountability (AGJA), in collaboration with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung’s Rule of Law Programme for Sub-Saharan Africa and with the support of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre and the School of Law of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) hosted an International Symposium on the theme, “West African International Justice – Leadership, Challenges, and Opportunities”, where Reed Brody was a speaker. The event took place in Accra, Ghana. — Justice Talks are a series of interviews about justice and accountability in Africa and beyond, featuring experts and leaders from the fields of human rights, international criminal law, politics and civil society. For more videos from Wayamo Foundation and the Africa Group for Justice and Accountability, visit our
