Museveni’s Bashir arrest dilemma and the ICC

Ocampo, perhaps seeing the trial of Kony as a way to kick off his new posting with a bang, fell for the idea.

That same evening, Ocampo met President Museveni. Without much ado, Museveni announced, while still in London, that he would ask the ICC to try the top leadership of the LRA rebels.

In July 2005, the ICC issued international arrest warrants for Kony, and four of his top deputies.

According to a senior Foreign Ministry official, “After the issuing of the warrants, almost all mainstream political supporters or sympathisers of the rebellion slowed down or became dormant. Even Sudan, which had hitherto been accused of openly supporting the LRA, felt the heat of the international arrest warrants and backed off. In fact, the warrants did more than the military had done in 20 years.”

With the reluctance of some world players to recognise it, the ICC has to work hard to justify its existence by successfully trying cases like that of Kony and his followers.

Roping in a sitting president (an African president, for that) would be a great bonus.