The office of the South African president has retracted President Cyril Ramaphosa’s statement that South Africa should refuse to participate in the International Criminal Court, writes Politico.
Ramaphosa’s office said in a statement released on Tuesday, the 25th of April, that it wants to clarify that South Africa remains accountable to the Rome Statute and the president has made a mistake.
On Tuesday morning, the South African president announced that his ANC party had decided that South Africa’s withdrawal from the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court would be prudent.
South Africa’s hesitation follows the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for Ukrainian President Vladimir Putin over the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.
South Africa has historically been a close ally of Russia and refused to cut ties with the Kremlin
even after Moscow invaded Ukraine. The ANC’s decision, according to Ramaphosa, is related to the manner in which the ICC deals with such issues.
Confusion over South Africa’s actions comes as it prepares for a summit of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), which Putin may also attend. As a member of the ICC, South Africa is obliged to arrest Putin if he comes to the summit in person in August. Kremlin representative Dmitry Peskov has informed that Putin has received an invitation to the summit, but the decision to participate in it will be made closer to August.