Link to article: https://allafrica.com/stories/202111060018.html
Currently, the country of Tanzania has come under fire for its withdrawal from the African Court on Human and People’s rights. In 2019, it became the second country after Rwanda to withdraw the rights of individuals to directly access the African Court. At a conference held last week, court president Justice Imani Aboud says that none of their decisions were enforced. This is also backed up by the fact that only six of the founding members recognize its jurisdiction. However, the current Foreign Affairs minister Liberatra Mulamula says that Tanzania has not officially withdrawn, with Vice President Philip Mpango agreeing. A direct quote from him says, “Tanzania hasn’t withdrawn from the African Court. Instead, the country has withdrawn from the Declaration made under Article 34 (6) of the Protocol on the African Charter for the Establishment of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which permits individuals and non-government organizations to directly access the court,”. In comparison to other African countries, Tanzania has the highest number of cases filed by individuals and NGOs and the highest amount of judgments issued against it by the African Court. Also, other countries such as Kenya have also been put under the spotlight for failing to address the decisions of the court.
My take on this article is that Tanzania needs to make it clear to its people whether or not they are part of the African Court on Human and People’s Rights since some leaders say they haven’t left while others say they did. Some other things that need to be addressed are the cases being filed by the people, and by NGOs. As I stated earlier, Tanzania has the highest number of cases being filed, with there being 156 applications and judgments being held against it in the African Court. 40% of all decisions issued by the court were on Tanzania. This shows that residents and organizations are unhappy, which is also backed up by the controversy of the withdrawal. Tanzania’s deputy defended the country’s withdrawal, saying that the withdrawal didn’t affect any pending cases.
One way this article can relate to class is the mention of NGOs. In the article, NGOs were said to file cases against the country. NGOs, or Non-Governmental Organizations are private organizations that focus on humanitarian, political, and economic issues. They can be international, national, or community level. Also, they most often operate in countries in conflict. Another way this can relate to class is by looking at this situation with the different levels of analysis. At the global level, not much is going on. However, if you look at it at a regional level, you can see that Africa as a whole is disappointed in Tanzania’s choice to withdraw. At a state level, you can look at the conflicts between the country and NGOs. Finally, at an individual level, you can compare the reactions of the different leaders.