Simon Jennings
Africa Editor
Africa Editor
As Africa Editor, Simon oversees print and radio production for IWPR in Uganda, Kenya, the Sudans and the Democratic Republic of Congo. IWPR’s journalists across the region produce detailed analysis on conflict, justice and rule of law for both a local and international audience. Simon grew up in Sussex in south east England. He spent a year working in post-apartheid South Africa in 1999 and has since managed humanitarian projects in refugee camps for Sudanese and Congolese in northern Uganda. Simon has an MA in Anthropology from the University of Edinburgh and after studying journalism as a postgraduate at City University, London, he worked as a junior editor at the China Daily newspaper in Beijing. He began at IWPR in November 2007 as a reporter on the ICTY/western Balkans project, based in The Hague. In 2009 Simon became the producer of IWPR’s ‘Facing Justice’ radio programme in northern Uganda. Along with a team of Darfuri journalists, he has also produced the Fi al Mizan, a weekly investigative radio slot on justice issues in Darfur.
High-profile failure exposes weaknesses in the way the court runs investigations, but also a lack of international resolve to make it work.
Analysts say authorities have failed to design a coherent counter-terrorism policy.
Concern at trend towards assigning lawyers to represent victims rather than letting them choose their own.
Nairobi is confident that proposed amendments will pass, but participating states are unlikely to allow major revisions to Hague court’s founding statute.
Experts highlight security weaknesses that could endanger entire cases.
Nairobi event will discuss whether prosecutions are the key to accountability in Africa.
Panel can probe allegations of staff misconduct but has no powers to investigate prosecution.
Observers surprised that Fatou Bensouda has not done more to urge Nairobi to be more cooperative.
Commentators welcome greater funding but say more is needed to allow court to do its job.
Despite Uhuru Kenyatta’s comments, critics say a series of new laws generated by government is designed to curtail freedoms, not increase them.