ICC Appeals Chamber confirms the Court’s jurisdiction over two war crimes in the Ntaganda case

As reported in PLD’s Jan-Feb newsletter 2017, the ICC’s Trial Chamber IV had affirmed it’s jurisdiction over war crimes of rape and sexual slavery of child soldiers committed by an armed force member against members of the same armed force in the case of The Prosecutor v. Bosco Ntaganda. This decision has been affirmed by the ICC Appeals Chamber. The Appeals Chamber also noted that International Humanitarian Law not only governs actions of parties to the conflict in relation to each other, but also with protecting vulnerable persons during armed conflict, including those who do not take an active part in the hostilities. The Chamber highlighted that the application of its jurisdiction only requires that the conduct in question “took place in the context of and was associated with an armed conflict.”