First Read:
Museveni turns from ICC admirer to critic
http://watchmanafrica.blogspot.com/2013/06/museveni-turns-from-icc-admirer-to.html
Museveni to West: Africa is fed up with your arrogance
By Tabu Butagira
Posted Thursday, September 26 2013 at 01:00
Posted Thursday, September 26 2013 at 01:00
President Museveni on Tuesday berated the West for what he called its patronising arrogance toward Africa, and said a “biased” International Criminal Court was “shallow” to tackle complex African issues.
In an address to the 68th UN General Assembly in New York, Mr Museveni reminded world leaders of the popular de-colonisation slogan that “Africa is for Africans.” “I cannot forget to point out to the Assembly our anger vis-à-vis actors who are beginning to make it a habit to ignore African Union positions on African matters,” he said.
“Although the patriotic forces (African revolutionaries) have been taken by surprise by this renewed arrogance by the old mistake makers [former colonial masters], they will react appropriately to insure Africa against hegemonism,” he added.
In May, the AU in a resolution, sponsored by Uganda, demanded ICC refers adjudication of the war crimes and crimes against humanity case against President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto to Kenya’s “credible” judiciary.
The ICC disregarded the resolution, pressing ahead with Mr Ruto’s trial, prompting the Kenyan parliament to vote to withdraw from the court’s constitutive 1998 Rome Statute. In his address, Mr Museveni said Africa initially supported the founding of ICC because “we abhor impunity”, but the pattern of targeting African leaders for prosecution and ignoring the continent’s position, including on Kenya, was unacceptable. He said Uganda would never have referred the case of the Lord’s Resistance Army commander, Joseph Kony, to the Hague-based court if the elusive warlord was not out of the country.
