A Study of the African Union's Right of Intervention Against Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes

In 2000, the International Panel of Eminent Personalities that investigated the genocide in Rwanda concluded that intervention could have saved the thousands of lives that perished in less than a hundred days. The finding made it clear that Africa as a continent needed to develop in earnest the normative and institutional framework to save the lives of its inhabitants faced with massive crimes. In 2001, the African states established the African Union, endowed with a right of intervention inside its member states against genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. This book investigates the legality of the African Union's right of intervention under international law. It critically analyzes the constituent elements of the African Union's right of intervention and elucidates the norms and institutions relevant for its effective implementation. The book uses the Darfur atrocities and the surrounding events to explain the challenges in the application of the African Union's right of intervention against genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.