International justice: Senegal wants to broaden the definition of war crimes

The National Assembly is examining a bill that could strengthen Senegal's commitment to combating the most serious crimes committed during armed conflicts. Meeting in committee, the members of parliament gave their approval to bill no. 13/2026, authorizing the President of the Republic to ratify amendments to Article 8 of the Rome Statute, the founding document of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The bill now goes to the plenary session, which will vote on its adoption.

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Behind this text, which has a very legalistic appearance, lies a major issue: enabling international justice to better prosecute certain forms of war crimes that, until now, were not explicitly covered by the Rome Statute. Before parliamentarians, the Minister of African Integration, Foreign Affairs, and Senegalese Abroad, Cheikh Niang, reiterated that Senegal maintains a special relationship with the ICC.

The country was, in fact, the first in the world to ratify the Rome Statute in 1999, thus demonstrating its commitment to the fight against impunity. The amendments submitted for ratification relate in particular to the use of poisons, toxic gases, expanding bullets, biological weapons, and the use of starvation as a method of warfare.

For the government, their adoption will make it possible to align Senegalese law more closely with international standards and to strengthen the protection of the population.

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The debates, however, went beyond purely technical matters. Several members of parliament raised the issue of the humanitarian crises witnessed in recent years in various conflict zones around the world. They particularly emphasized the need to better protect populations deprived of access to food, healthcare, and humanitarian aid.

Parliamentarians also questioned the government about the criticisms regularly leveled at the International Criminal Court, including the slowness of certain procedures and the perception of a concentration of cases on the African continent.

In response, the minister highlighted the complexity of international investigations, which often require years of evidence gathering and cooperation between multiple states.

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Another issue raised was the Kampala Amendment on the crime of aggression, adopted in 2010 but still not ratified by Senegal. The minister assured that steps would be taken to rectify this situation as soon as possible.

At the end of the discussions, the members of the intercommittee unanimously adopted the bill. The final decision now rests with the National Assembly meeting in plenary session.

If the text is adopted, Senegal will further strengthen its legal arsenal against war crimes and reaffirm its place among the countries committed to defending international humanitarian law.