Wayamo Foundation

Meeting with President of Ghana
2019-03-20 | Accra, Ghana
The Africa Group for Justice and Accountability and the Wayamo Foundation had a very fruitful meeting with the President of Ghana on 20 March 2019, during which the Africa Group and Wayamo’s mission and activities were discussed.
The President expressed his full support for AGJA and its quest for justice and accountability across the region, and expressed his desire to remain engaged with Wayamo and AGJA in the future.

The Rohingya crisis - how did it happen, and what can we do?
2018-12-14 17:00 - 18:30 (Europe/Berlin)
There have been numerous reports that genocide and ethnic cleansing have been committed against the Rohingya people by Burmese security forces. How did Myanmar, a country that seemed to show such promise and potential, end up committing this genocidal campaign against the Rohingya and what responses are available to achieve justice and accountability for the victims and survivors of these crimes?
A panel of experts will seek to answer these questions on 14 December 2018. The event features Canadian Special Envoy to Myanmar Bob Rae, in conversation with Kate Cronin-Furman (University College London), Fannie Lafontaine (Laval University), Sebastiaan Verelst (United Nations), Jacques Bertrand (Munk School, University of Toronto), and Mark Kersten (Munk School, University of Toronto). The event is organized by Mark Kersten (Munk School) and Martin Mennecke (University of Southern Denmark) and made possible by the support of the University of Southern Denmark, the Canadian Partnership for International Justice, and the Wayamo Foundation.

The Rohingya crisis – how did it happen, and what can we do?

Side event at the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague
2018-12-10 18:00 - 20:00 | The Hague, Churchillplein 10, Den Haag, 2517 JW
Assembly of States Parties – Side event
Creative responses to international criminal justice – complementarity and capacity building
10 December 2018, 18:00 – 20:00, World Forum
Click here for the flyer.
The event was opened by Richard Goldstone, AGJA member and Former Chief Prosecutor of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia. Goldstone’s remarks focused on the important role that the AGJA has played in advocating for more effective justice and efforts across the African continent.
He was followed by fellow AGJA member,Dapo Akande, Professor of Public International Law, University of Oxford, who spoke about the ongoing capacity building programme implemented by Wayamo, AGJA and the International Nuremberg Principles Academy, aimed at encouraging national-level investigators and prosecutors to achieve justice effectively for crimes allegedly committed by Boko Haram and the Nigerian military.
Akande’s intervention was followed by a lively debate between Netsanet Belay, Africa Programme Director at Amnesty International, Claus Molitor, Situation Analyst, Office of the Prosecutor, ICC, Muhammed Umar,Nigerian Federal Director of Public Prosecutions Major General Yusuf Shalangwa,Director Legal Services Nigerian Army, and Olawale Fapohunda,Attorney-General of Ekiti State and Chair of the Nigerian Military Human Rights Dialogue. They discussed the ongoing efforts of national investigators and prosecutors to achieve justice for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Nigeria.
Belay outlined the findings of Amnesty International’s (AI) latest report on alleged atrocities in Nigeria, observing that these had not been sufficiently investigated or prosecuted and that the Nigerian authorities should be regarded as unable to do so.
Molitor outlined the continuing work of the Office of the Prosecutor in assessing efforts by Nigeria to investigate and prosecute alleged crimes committed by Boko Haram and the Nigerian military.
General Shalangwa described Nigeria’s commitment to accountability for alleged crimes, and stressed that the country was in a continuous process of learning how to fight asymmetrical warfare whilst ensuring that standards of international law were upheld.
Umar outlined some of Nigeria’s efforts to date and insisted that the country remained committed to investigating and prosecuting all international crimes committed on its territory.
Echoing the selfsame sentiment, Fapohunda proceeded to respond, directly and critically, to the AI report, focusing much of his remarks on the need for respectful dialogue and avoiding what he saw as aggressive rhetoric. The panellists’ spirited debate was followed by interventions from the floor.
Click here for all pictures.
The event was organised as part of Wayamo and AGJA’s commitment to creating forums for constructive dialogue and bringing together actors to work and engage in a respectful and collaborative fashion. The side event would not have been possible without the generous support of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, The Netherlands, Finland, Germany, and Nigeria.
ABOUT THE AFRICA GROUP FOR JUSTICE AND ACCOUNTABILITY
The Africa Group for Justice and Accountability (AGJA) is an independent group of senior African experts on international criminal law and human rights, which supports efforts to strengthen justice and accountability measures in Africa through domestic and regional capacity building, advice, and enhancing cooperation between Africa and the International Criminal Court.

ABOUT THE WAYAMO FOUNDATION
The Wayamo Foundation is an independent, non-profit organisation established to strengthen the rule of law, promote international criminal justice and foster transparency through informed journalism. Its main objective is to build the capacity of national judicial systems to enable them to address core international crimes, transnational organised crime and build transitional justice mechanisms. The Wayamo Foundation serves as AGJA´s Secretariat.

East Africa Project: Network Meeting, Symposium and Training Workshop
2018-11-26 - 2018-11-29 | Arusha, Tanzania, United Republic Of
Fighting impunity and ensuring accountability through fostering and facilitating networks, building capacity to enable domestic systems to address international and transnational crimes, holding international symposia, and engaging with the mass media.
To hold the sixth round of its “Fighting Impunity in East Africa” project, the Wayamo Foundation returned to where it had all begun…Arusha, Tanzania. Here, in the shadow of Mt. Meru, an intensive, week-long series of events was organised within the framework of an initiative funded by the German Foreign Ministry, co-hosted by the Africa Group for Justice and Accountability (AGJA), and fittingly entitled “BEYOND NARROW INTERESTS – JUSTICE AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN EAST AFRICA”.
As always, the programme adhered to the tried-and-tested “four-pillar format”, involving a network meeting, an international symposium, a training workshop and a media-engagement session.
Monday: Network Meeting
Click here for Network meeting pictures.
Given the Network’s designated aim of strengthening the rule of law across East Africa by ensuring effective cross-border investigation and prosecution of complex crimes and bolstering inter-agency collaboration, this fourth meeting assumed special importance. Not only did it afford an opportunity to consolidate and operationalise the Network, but it marked the first time that the Directors of Public Prosecutions (DPPs) of all four countries (Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda) coincided with the respective Directors of Criminal Investigation (DCIs) in what one participant described as “this unique grouping”.
In addition to the business in hand, the meeting heard two presentations by experts in their chosen fields: Philipp Ambach, Chief of the Victims Participation and Reparations Section at the International Criminal Court (ICC) spoke on the topical, often problematic subject of “The co-operation of States with the ICC”; and Matevz Pezdirc, European Network for investigation and prosecution of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, Eurojust, addressed the highly pertinent subject of “Successes and challenges of network building and maintenance”.
The Meeting tackled the multifold challenges posed by co-operation among states having different legal systems and laws, with the kind of constructive attitude and approach that only experienced practitioners can bring to such matters. Indeed the DPPs present were able to profit doubly from the occasion, by using the following afternoon to hold an official meeting of the East African Association of Prosecutors (EAAP) at the very same venue, a pattern that might well be followed in future.
Tuesday: International Symposium
Click here for Symposium pictures.
The fact that parochial political interests and a narrow national focus continue to undermine the investigation and prosecution of complex, transnational and international crimes, raises the question of what can be done to overcome such myopic interests and insular approaches in order to further accountability for international and transnational organised crime. It was this that formed the core idea and theme running through the symposium, and the week as a whole.
The day’s proceedings were formally opened by a trio of dignitaries, made up of Tanzanian DPP, Biswalo Mganga, Rwandan Prosecutor-General, Jean-Bosco Mutangana,and Former Chief Justice of Tanzania and AGJA member, Mohamed Chande Othman.
This traditional start was followed by a free-flowing conversation between Wayamo moderator Joseph Roberts-Mensah and two special guests, the Ugandan and Kenyan DPPs, Mike Chibitaand Noordin Hajirespectively, who talked frankly and forthrightly -at times surprisingly so- about “The trials and tribulations of prosecuting in Uganda and Kenya”.
Other topics covered by the three panels during the morning and afternoon sessions were “Combating transnational organised crime and terrorism”, “Distributing justice: international, regional and domestic justice mechanisms” and “Judicial co-operation and the links between international criminal justice and transnational organised crime”. The panellists were drawn from Africa and around the world, and included: Nigerian prosecutor,Chika Nnanna; Kenyan Deputy DPP, Dorcas Oduor: Ugandans, Jane Okuo Kajuga, Senior Assistant DPP, and Nicholas Opiyo, human rights lawyer; former Ambassadors, Tuvako Manongiand Stephen Rapp; the President of the East African Court of Justice, Emmanuel Ugirashebuja; the ICC’s Philipp Ambachand William Rosato; Matevz Pezdircfrom Eurojust in The Hague; and roving United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime(UNODC) Regional Advisorfor Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing in Central Africa, Gary Hyde.
Wednesday, Thursday: Workshop
Click here for training pictures.
Renowned experts in the investigation and prosecution of international and transnational crimes led a two-day training workshop for investigators and prosecutors from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania. Sessions covered numerous themes, including: a critical overview of core international crimes by Philipp Ambach; investigation techniques to combat international crimes by William Rosato; an assessment of combating illicit financial flows by Gary Hyde; a session by former Ambassador Stephen Rappon how to select appropriate charges and being creative in the process; the use of money laundering as the main or alternative offence in prosecutions by Constance V.W. Gikonyo; and finally, a “Train-the-Trainer” session by Joseph Roberts-Mensahand Bettina Ambach. The sessions were interactive and included numerous simulations in which all trainees participated. In addition, participants were asked to submit recommendations for future workshops. These will be used to shape future engagements by Wayamo in the region and beyond.
Wednesday: Media Engagement
Click here for media engagement pictures.
As an integral part of the programme surrounding the International Symposium, the organisers always facilitate a media engagement for senior journalists within the region, who work on issues pertaining to international criminal justice and accountability. This time, journalists from Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya were joined by a colleague from South Africa who had previously covered Wayamo events in that country.
Guest speakers invited to share their in-depth knowledge on various issues were: Stephen Rapp, former US Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues, who reviewed “20 years of the Rome Statute, 16 years of the ICC- is international criminal justice living up to expectations”, and whether America’s position had a negative position on the credibility of the ICC; Wayamo’s in-house international lawyer, Angela Mudukuti, who spoke on “African states and International Criminal Justice; Observations: Is nationalism preventing African countries from properly addressing international criminal justice and accountability?”; UNODC Regional Advisor, Gary Hyde, who provided a “Greater understanding of the impact of transnational/organised crime; linkages and new trends”; and finally, Wayamo Deputy Director, Mark Kersten, who discussed “Observations: Writing the justice story; what is lacking missing or non-existent in our journalism?”
The event took place over the course of a day, and participants were not only able to ask several questions of the speakers, but were actively encouraged to further interrogate the issues in a press-conference-style environment. Wayamo media engagements are specifically designed to broaden journalists’ knowledge base and foster cross-fertilisation of ideas, while at the same time building up and consolidating an East African network to share and support stories, resources and practice.

Capacity building of civil and military prosecutors
2018-10-31 - 2018-11-02 | Abuja, Nigeria
Following on from five previous workshops on “Strengthening Justice and Accountability in Nigeria” held over the course of 2017 and 2018, the conclusion of the latest three-day session in Lagos, from November 1 to 3, marks the sixth in the series organised, promoted, designed and conducted by the Wayamo Foundation, the Africa Group for Justice and Accountability (AGJA) and the International Nuremberg Principles Academy.
Click here for pictures.
Like its predecessors, this November 2018 edition was purpose-designed to impart joint training for investigators and prosecutors, both military and civil. The overall aim is to equip Nigerian prosecutors and investigators with the necessary expertise and skills to address the most serious and complex international, transnational and terrorism-related crimes under Nigerian criminal law, including crimes that may potentially fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC). In addition, and for the very first time, the workshop was attended by participants from the Joint Investigation Centre (JIC) based in Maidugiri and responsible for the investigation of Boko Haram crimes. Also participating for the first time were representatives of the Nigerian Institute for Advanced Legal Studies and the National Judicial Institute whose presence marks the beginning of a collaborative initiative regarding the implementation of future training programmes with a train-the-trainer component, seen as essential to ensuring the long-term sustainability and ongoing relevance of the work done to date.
The event was officially opened by Wayamo Foundation Director, Bettina Ambach, the Nuremberg Academy’s Senior Legal Officer,Eduardo Toledo, and the Head of the Complex Case Work Group and Deputy Director, Directorate of Public Prosecutions, Hadi Saleh Barkun.
To set the overall context in which the sessions would be taking place and flag the pertinence of the topic areas to be covered, Wayamo in-house international lawyer, Angela Mudukuti provided a brief recapitulation of the ICC’s ongoing preliminary examination of Nigeria, which had originally been presented to and discussed with the group by ICC Situation Analyst, Claus Molitor, in May 2018.
The workshop syllabus could be seen as falling into two broad categories, i.e., theoretical and practical (or practice-orientated).
On the theoretical side, Harvard Law Professor, Alex Whiting opened proceedings with a concise yet wide-ranging overview entitled “Understanding International Criminal Law”, Oxford Law Professor and AGJA member Dapo Akande honed in on the key area of “Command responsibility and superior orders”, and William Lietzau, former U.S. Marine Corps Judge Advocate and former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Rule of Law and Detainee Policy, covered the influence and relevance of the law of war under the head of “Fundamentals of International Humanitarian Law”.
Interestingly, the highly topical and often controversial subject of “Compliance of armed forces with human rights obligations” was approached from two very different though complementary directions: whereas William Lietzau looked at the problem from a more general point of view, Olawale Fapohunda, Attorney General of Ekiti State and Chair, Nigerian Military Human Rights Dialogue, tackled it from a more empirical standpoint, discussing recent events and allegations made in Nigeria through the eyes of someone who had been closely involved in examining the situation on the ground.
On the practice-orientated side, Sofia Coelho Candeias,UN Expert on Sexual Violence in Conflict, guided the participants through the intricacies and difficulties –technical, logistical and cultural- of “Investigating and prosecuting sexual violence”. Both her session and that led by former Lead International Prosecutor, Charles Adeogun-Phillips on “Understanding the rights of the accused”, were marked by a great deal of interaction and lively exchanges of opinion.
The fascinating field of crime scene investigation formed the subject of a detailed presentation by Dr. Richard I. Somiari, President & Chief Scientific Officer, ITSI-Bioscience LLC, Lagos State DNA Forensic Centre. Speaking on “DNA forensic evidence and its use in court”, Dr. Somiari emphasised the crucial importance of investigative and evidence-gathering techniques and state-of-the-art analysis to achieving successful convictions. Adopting a similar hands-on, real-life approach as applied to current events in Nigeria, Adejoké Babington-Ashaye, International Law Specialist and former ICC investigator, split the participants into teams and tasked them with addressing the problems posed by a highly realistic case scenario, from a prosecutorial stance.
Resource personnel and participants alike were fulsome in their praise and appreciation of both the workshop and the learning opportunities afforded by their time together.

Lecture: Fear & Loathing in DC
2018-10-25 13:00 - 15:00 | Charlottesville, 580 Massie Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903, United States
Mark Kersten, Deputy Director of the Wayamo Foundation spoke at the following event:
Fear & Loathing in DC: Change and Continuity in US Relations with the International Criminal Court
Thursday 25 October 2018 at the University of Virginia
1:00pm, WB114
The Human Rights Program hosted a conversation with Mark Kersten, deputy director of the Wayamo Foundation and a fellow based at the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto. He is also author of the book, “Justice in Conflict: The Effects of the International Criminal Court’s Interventions on Ending Wars and Building Peace.”

The International Criminal Court (ICC) , according to the Trump administration, is “dead to us ”. This remarkable change in tone from the Obama administration feels like a throw – back to the early days of the Bush Presidency. Despite polarized rhetoric, there is both change and continuity in Washington’s policies towards the ICC. Dr. Mark Kersten’s lecture focused on the implications of this change and continuity on the legitimacy of the Court.

ECCHR Discussion: 20 years after Pinochet's arrest
2018-10-17 16:30 - 20:00 | Berlin, BERLINER ABGEORDNETENHAUS NIEDERKIRCHNERSTRASSE 5, Berlin, 10117
Angela Mudukuti, International Criminal Justice Lawyer at the Wayamo Foundation, spoke at the following event organised by ECCHR:
20 years after Pinochet’s arrest: the past and present of transnational justice
ECCHR Discussion
17.10.2018, 16:30 pm
Berliner Abgeordnetenhaus
Niederkirchnerstrasse 5, 10117 Berlin

Berlin’s past and present reveal several links to severe human rights violations, as well as to efforts to address past atrocities. The International Military Tribunal, which went on to prosecute Nazi crimes in Nuremberg, sat in Berlin on 18 October 1945. In Berlin on 17 October 1998, survivors of Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship celebrated after Pinochet was arrested in London. And in the same year, Berlin-based lawyers, politicians and members of the civil society strove for the establishment of the International Criminal Court.
On the occasion of the anniversaries of these diverse historical events, the parliamentary groups of Die Linke und Bündnis 90/Die Grünen in the Berlin House of Representatives together with the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) and the Forschungs- und Dokumentationszentrum Chile-Lateinamerika e.V. (Centre for Research and Documentation Chile-Latin America, FDCL) hosted an event.
Survivors, activists and lawyers from Chile and Germany discussed how transnational justice can succeed and what still remains be done.
Panelists included Sebastian Schlüsselburg, spokesperson for legal policy, parliamentary group of Die Linke in the Berlin House of Representatives; Antje Kapek, chairwoman of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen parliamentary group in the Berlin House of Representatives; Naomi Roht-Arriaza, professor of law, University of California, and author of The Pinochet Effect: Transnational Justice in the Age of Human Rights; Winfried Hempel, lawyer and former resident of Colonia Dignidad; Angela Mudukuti, International Criminal Justice Lawyer at the Wayamo Foundation (Berlin), Petra Schlagenhauf, lawyer, and Wolfgang Kaleck, General Secretary of ECCHR.
Please, find the full programm to the event here.

Please register via the ECCHR website.

South Africa and international criminal justice – the way forward
2018-08-29 09:00 - 17:00 | Cape Town, 76 Orange St, Gardens, Cape Town,, 8001, South Africa
At a crucial point in time, when South Africa’s longstanding commitment to the International Criminal Court (ICC) hangs in the balance, and many countries across Africa and other parts of the world are looking on with real interest at the direction it will take, the Africa Group for Justice and Accountability (AGJA) and the Wayamo Foundation held a one-day public symposium in Cape Town on the issue. The event was made possible thanks to the combined generosity of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, the German Federal Foreign Office, the European Union, and the Government of Canada.
Not only did the symposium prove highly successful in bringing together a varied and prestigious group of international and local experts on international criminal justice, non-governmental organisations, academics, practitioners and members of civil society, but it also managed to address topics of pressing concern and importance, ranging from “International Criminal Justice – The Road Ahead”, “South Africa and the ICC – Where Now” and “The UNSC-ICC Relationship and Head of State Immunity” to “Thinking Outside the ICC Box: Domestic and Hybrid Justice for core international crimes”.

Capacity-building workshop on “Strengthening Justice and Accountability in Nigeria
2018-05-21 - 2018-05-23 | Lagos, Nigeria
The recently concluded 3-day workshop held by the Wayamo Foundation and the International Nuremberg Principles Academy in Abuja from 21 to 23 May, is the fifth in the current series of training sessions on “Strengthening Justice and Accountability in Nigeria”, and was purpose-designed to impart joint training for 32 senior military and civil investigators and prosecutors. The overall aim is to equip Nigerian prosecutors and investigators with the necessary expertise and skills to address serious and complex international, transnational and terrorism-related crimes under Nigerian criminal law, including crimes that may potentially fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Capacity building workshop and Joan Kagezi Memorial Lecture
2018-04-12 - 2018-04-13 | kampala, Uganda
On 13 April, Wayamo Foundation Director Bettina Ambach and Deputy Director Mark Kersten participated in the third annual Joan Kagezi Memorial Lecture on the theme of “Combating International and Transnational Organised Crime: Lessons Learnt and Best Practices”. The Wayamo Foundation had the privilege of co-organising the event with its partners in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The event celebrated the life of Joan Kagezi, a senior prosecutor in Uganda’s International Crimes Division, who was assassinated in March 2015.
Click here for Memorial Lecture Report.
This event was preceded by a training workshop on 12 April with the focus on the fight against international and transnational organised crimes. In line with the Wayamo Foundation’s mandate and mission, the aim of the workshop was to build local capacities in order to address core international crimes and transnational organised crimes domestically. This workshop was designed as part of Wayamo’s ongoing efforts to put the principle of complementarity into effective practice, whilst simultaneously fostering co-operation between the international criminal justice community and national legal actors.

International Justice Symposium : "Networks of Accountability: Justice for International and Transnational Organized Crimes"
2018-02-27 | Nairobi, Kenya
In February and March of this year, the Wayamo Foundation concluded a series of five key events (two meetings and three activities) in so many days in Nairobi, Kenya, as part of its “Fighting Impunity in East Africa” project, an initiative funded by the German Foreign Ministry.
The stated objectives of the Symposium were to discuss the status of international criminal justice, analyse transnational organised crimes, and explore the linkages between the two sets of crimes. The Symposium was followed by a training session for a select group of senior East African investigators and prosecutors, a high-level network meeting of Directors of Public Prosecution and Heads of Criminal Investigations from Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, as well as a special media component for journalists from the region.
Click here for Symposium report.

International Symposium in Kigali: "Fighting Impunity in East Africa"
2017-11-21 | Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda
Over a three-day period from 20 to 22 November 2017, Kigali, Rwanda, played host to the latest in the Wayamo Foundation’s series of East African international justice conferences aimed at exploring the current state of international criminal justice, its links with transnational organised crime, and national and regional efforts to deal with these crimes. The event was held thanks to the unstinting collaboration of the Rwandan Ministry of Justice and the financial support of the German Federal Foreign Office.
Another of the programme’s pillars was the following day’s intensive training session for investigators and prosecutors from Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, aimed at building competencies in the investigation and prosecution of international and transnational crimes domestically. This model is purpose-designed to put the complementarity principle into practice, while at the sometime fostering synergies between the international criminal justice community and national legal actors.
However, the pillar of greatest potential practical importance was arguably the second High-level Network Meeting of Directors of Public Prosecution and Heads of Criminal Investigation Departments from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda on Monday 20 November, aimed at strengthening the rule of law by ensuring effective investigation and prosecution of complex crimes and intensifying inter-agency collaboration at the regional level. It is intended that the network will have three main functions: (1) to serve as a mechanism for exchanging knowledge, sharing policies, tools, templates and guidelines on topics such as witness protection, witness interviewing, arrest and extradition; (2) to enhance the working relationship between police and prosecutors during the course of investigations; and (3) to be an avenue for regional and cross-border collaboration and mutual legal assistance in international and transnational criminal cases.

Capacity building for civil and military prosecutors to address the most serious and complex crimes under Nigerian criminal law, Lagos, Nigeria
2017-11-02 - 2017-11-04 | Nigeria, Lagos, Nigeria
Over the course of three days, from 2nd to 4th November 2017, the Wayamo Foundation, Africa Group for Justice and Accountability (AGJA) and International Nuremberg Principles Academy held the fourth of the current series of capacity-building workshops on “Strengthening Justice and Accountability in Nigeria”.
This workshop marked a radical shift in that it was the first to combine training for both military and civil investigators and prosecutors on how to address the most serious and complex crimes under Nigerian criminal law (international, transnational and terrorism related crimes), including crimes that potentially fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Both military and civil participants indicated that the workshop had been “very interactive, informative and educational.”

The Africa Group mission to The Gambia
2017-10-30 - 2017-11-03 | The Gambia, Banjul, Gambia
From 31 October to 3 November 2017, the Africa Group for Justice and Accountability (AGJA) and the Wayamo Foundation sent a fact-finding delegation to The Gambia. The delegation arrived in The Gambia in response to an invitation by Justice Minister Abubacarr Tambadou. Its aim was to understand the nature of The Gambia’s ongoing transition from authoritarian rule under former President Yahya Jammeh to democracy and the rule of law. Over a series of broad consultations with key stakeholders in the transitional process, the delegation sought to understand the challenges and priorities regarding the achievement of justice and accountability in the country. The delegation was led by former Chief Justice of Tanzania, Mohamed Chande Othman and included human rights advocate Fatiha Serour (Algeria) and Wayamo Foundation Deputy Director Mark Kersten (Canada).
Based on the delegation’s consultations as well as ongoing research on the country’s transition conducted at the Wayamo Foundation, the mission report offers a series of recommendations to authorities and officials in The Gambia as they continue to work on achieving justice and accountability and building a state that eagerly and effectively defends the rule of law and human rights. It is also expected that it will inform the work of the Wayamo Foundation, AGJA and other partners interested in further supporting The Gambia’s transition process.

Judges´ retreat on judicial independence
2017-08-08 | Tanzania, Kanisa Road, Arusha, Tanzania, United Republic Of
As part of the Wayamo Foundation’s commitment to spreading knowledge and building capacity among judges in the East African region, the symposium was followed by a one-day retreat on 8 August (see programme), attended by fifteen judges from national, regional, and international courts. They shared experiences in tackling transnational organised crime, building effective judiciaries and courts, and protecting the independence of their institutions. By enhancing knowledge of the judiciary’s role in addressing serious and transnational crimes, the ultimate goal is to build competency to address such crimes domestically and an understanding of the complementary role of national, regional and international courts. The retreat was a powerful demonstration of the commitment shown by both the participants and the Wayamo Foundation to strengthen the rule of law through the fostering of strong, independent and effective judiciaries.

International Symposium: “Judicial Independence — A Foundation for Combatting International and Transnational Crime”
2017-08-07 | Tanzania, Kanisa Road, Arusha, Tanzania, United Republic Of
On 7 August, Arusha played host to an international symposium at the Mount Meru Hotel, aimed at exploring: judicial independence, integrity and ethics in the fight against international and transnational crime; case studies on the role of the judiciary in addressing human trafficking and corruption; and the relationship between domestic, regional, and international courts in combatting serious crimes (see programme).
As part of the Wayamo Foundation’s commitment to spreading knowledge and building capacity among judges in the East African region, the symposium was followed by a one-day retreat on 8 August (see programme), attended by fifteen judges from national, regional, and international courts. They shared experiences in tackling transnational organised crime, building effective judiciaries and courts, and protecting the independence of their institutions. By enhancing knowledge of the judiciary’s role in addressing serious and transnational crimes, the ultimate goal is to build competency to address such crimes domestically and an understanding of the complementary role of national, regional and international courts. The retreat was a powerful demonstration of the commitment shown by both the participants and the Wayamo Foundation to strengthen the rule of law through the fostering of strong, independent and effective judiciaries.

International Symposium and capacity building, Dakar, Senegal
2017-07-07 - 2017-07-08 | Senegal, Boulevard Martin Luther King, Dakar, Senegal
From 7-8 July 2017, Senegal’s capital of Dakar was the scene of a public symposium entitled, “Changing the Narrative – From Withdrawal to Constructive Engagement”.
Click here for the Symposium report.
Convened by the Wayamo Foundation and the Africa Group for Justice and Accountability (AGJA), the symposium brought together a number of leading stakeholders, experts, scholars, and practitioners in order to discuss a range of topics, including the current status of the relationship between African states and the International Criminal Court (ICC), possible reforms to improve the Court and interpreting the African Union’s (AU) ICC Withdrawal Strategy as a package of reforms, the role of hybrid mechanisms in prosecuting international crimes, combating impunity at a regional level, the coming into force of the crime of aggression, and the thorny issue of sequencing peace and justice.
As a continuation of their ongoing commitment to justice and accountability across the continent, the Wayamo Foundation and AGJA convened a capacity building workshop from 10-11 July, following their two-day public symposium. The two-day training workshop (see programme) brought together for the first time the members of the Special Criminal Court (SCC) of the Central African Republic (CAR). Participants included the judges, prosecutor and deputy prosecutor. Over the course of the two days, members of staff were given the opportunity to learn from the experiences and lessons of colleagues from other international organisations and courts, including the Extraordinary African Chambers (EAC) which had successfully prosecuted Hissène Habré in 2016.

Capacity building for military prosecutors to address the most serious and complex crimes under Nigerian criminal law, Lagos, Nigeria
2017-06-28 - 2017-06-30 | Nigeria, Lagos, Nigeria
Lagos played host to Capacity-building for military prosecutors to address the most serious and complex crimes under Nigerian criminal law. From 28-30 June, Wayamo organised a capacity-building workshop for military investigators and prosecutors on ‘STRENGTHENING JUSTICE AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN NIGERIA’ at the Southern Sun Hotel Ikoyi in Lagos (see programme).
The three-day workshop was organised by the Wayamo Foundation, the International Nuremberg Principles Academy and the Africa Group for Justice and Accountability and was opened by General Yusuf Shalangwa, the Director of Legal Services of the Nigerian Army.
This June workshop is the first training session for Nigerian military investigators and prosecutors. The Chief of Army Staff has kindly agreed to send 20 investigators and prosecutors to the workshop. The objective of the ongoing training programme is to build capacity to address the most serious and complex crimes under Nigerian criminal law (international, transnational and terrorism- related crimes), including those crimes that potentially fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.

International Symposium: “Fighting Impunity in East Africa – Ensuring accountability for international and transnational organised crimes”
2017-06-05 - 2017-06-08 | Tanzania, Kanisa Road, Arusha, Tanzania, United Republic Of
Arusha played host to an international symposium at the Mount Meru Hotel on 6 June 2017. The symposium aimed at exploring the current state of international criminal justice, its links with transnational organised crime, and national and regional efforts to deal with these crimes across East Africa. The event welcomed some 80 experts on international and transnational criminal law, academics, legal practitioners, the media and civil society organisations from across Africa and other parts of the world.
Click here for Symposium Report.
As part of the project’s launch activities, the Wayamo Foundation facilitated the first network meeting of Directors of Public Prosecution and Heads of Criminal Investigation Departments, as well as a two-day training session for prosecutors and investigators from Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. By enhancing knowledge in the areas of the investigation and prosecution of international and transnational crimes, with special sessions on cyber-crime and financial crimes, the ultimate goal of such training is to build competency to address these crimes domestically.

South African-German Justice Dialogue
2017-03-27 - 2017-03-28 | South Africa, Pretoria
Taking place from 27 – 28 March 2017 in Pretoria, South Africa, the South African-German Justice Dialogue brought together South African, German and international experts in the areas of international criminal law and human rights, as well as 20 -25 participants, including diplomats, civil society representatives and academics.
The event has been organised by the Wayamo Foundation in cooperation with the German Federal Foreign Office.

The event commenced with welcoming remarks by Michael Koch, Director-General, Legal Department, Federal Foreign Office, Germany, and the keynote speech delivered by Navi Pillay, Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (see programme).

Capacity building for prosecutors to address the most serious and complex crimes under Nigerian criminal law
2017-03-13 - 2017-03-15 | Nigeria, Lagos, Nigeria
Wednesday 15 March 2017 saw the close of the Wayamo Foundation’s second capacity-building workshop aimed at helping Nigerian prosecutors address the most serious and complex crimes under Nigerian criminal law. This forms part of a larger, ongoing programme to strengthen justice and accountability in Nigeria, which is being implemented by Wayamo, the International Nuremberg Principles Academy and the Africa Group for Justice and Accountability in collaboration with the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Justice.
Judging by the reactions of the participants and trainers alike, the workshop was a resounding success, with a hands-on, interactive, practice-oriented approach that allowed for some extremely lively and instructive discussion, further insight into the international dimensions of the work involved, and ample space for a series of challenging exercises, purpose-designed to hone their prosecution skills and test their ability to work in teams on real case scenarios.
