The US has imposed sanctions on senior officials in the International Criminal Court (ICC), including chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused the court of “illegitimate attempts to subject Americans to its jurisdiction”. The Hague-based ICC is currently investigating whether US forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan. The US has criticised the court since its foundation and is one of a dozen states which have not signed up. The treaty has been ratified by 123 countries, including the UK. But the US – along with China, India and Russia – has refused to join, while some African nations have accused the body of being unfairly focused on Africans. President Donald Trump issued an executive order in June, which allows the US to block the assets of ICC employees and stop them entering the country. Addressing reporters on Wednesday, Mr Pompeo said Ms Bensouda and Phakiso Mochochoko, the head of the Jurisdiction, Complementarity and Cooperation Division, were to be sanctioned under this order.
SOURCE: AFRICA NEWS