African governments urged to donate to fund for war victims

KAMPALA, Uganda – An official associated with the International Criminal Court is urging African governments to contribute to a trust fund for victims of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Mama Koite Doumbia, a director with the Trust Fund for Victims, said Wednesday that only four African countries have donated since 2008: Namibia, Senegal, Congo and South Africa.

Like the International Criminal Court, the trust fund was established under the Rome Statute. Uganda is a state party to the treaty.

ICC president Judge Silvia Fernandez de Gurmendi is visiting Uganda in relation to the trust fund. On Wednesday she was meeting President Yoweri Museveni, who has called the ICC “useless.”

The trust fund, which depends on voluntary contributions, runs projects assisting tens of thousands of people in eastern Congo and northern Uganda.

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