Arusha, 13 July 2018: The just-ended 31st African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government Ordinary Session in Nouakchott, Mauritania, has appointed three Judges as members of the African Court and re-appointed one Judge to serve for a final six year term.
The three newly elected Judges are: Hon Imani Aboud from Tanzania; Hon Stella Isibhakhomen Anukam from Nigeria and Hon Blaise Tchikaye from Congo.
Hon Justice Ben Kioko from Kenya, the current Vice President of the African Court, was re-appointed for a second term of six years.
The newly elected Justices are replacing Hon Justice Gérald Niyungeko from Burundi and Hon Justice El Hadji Guissé from Senegal, who both retired last month after serving two terms of six years each, and Hon Justice Solomy Balungi Bossa from Uganda who resigned in February 2018 to take up a position as Judge of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands.
Hon Justice Aboud is the Judge In-charge of the Tanzania’s High Court, Tanga, Tanzania; Hon Justice Anukam is the Director of International and Comparative Law Department in the Federal Ministry of Justice in Abuja, Nigeria; and Hon Blaise Tchikaya is a Professor of International Public Law at University of Paris, France.
.The newly elected Judges will be sworn-in on 27 August 2018 at the commencement of the 50th Ordinary Session in Arusha, Tanzania, the seat of the Court.
The President of the Court, Hon Justice Sylvain Oré, has warmly welcomed the election of the new Judges, and re-election of Justice Kioko, and wished them every success in pursuit of the common objective of the rule of law and African Justice.
NOTES FOR EDITORS:
1. The Court is composed of eleven Judges, nationals of Member States of the African Union elected in their individual capacity.
2. The Court meets four times a year in Ordinary Sessions and may hold Extra-Ordinary Sessions.
