Between rhetoric and action: The politics, processes and practice of the ICC’s work in the DRC

Source: (2009) Monograph 164, Institute for Security Studies.

This monograph considers various aspects of the work of the ICC [International Criminal Court] in the DRC [Democratic Republic of Congo] since it became engaged in that country. It attempts to respond to some of the questions posed above. The study has three general objectives. First, it examines the cooperation relationship between the Court and the government of the DRC as well as various other relevant players in that country, including civil society and the UN Mission in the country (known by its French abbreviation, MONUC). Second, it examines the role of politics – domestic or otherwise – in the work of the ICC in the DRC. Third, it examines perceptions around the work of the ICC in various sectors of Congolese society: government, victims and civil society. By extension, it addresses some of the broader questions that the work of the ICC in Africa has raised, including the proposition that the ICC is ‘targeting’ African countries. (excerpt)