International Human Rights Law in Africa

• It is 20 years since the African Charter came into force, making this a timely resume of the current situation, institutions, and policy
• Examines issues of modern post-colonial statehood and national identity
• Analyses the complex and topical issue of the interaction between national and supranational legal regimes
• Combines theoretical perspectives with State practice
• Comprehensive coverage, looking at international, regional, and national human rights instruments

Since the establishment of the African Union in 2001, there has been a proliferation of regional institutions that are relevant to human rights in Africa. These include the Pan African Parliament, the Peace and Security Council, the Economic, Social and Cultural Council and the African Peer Review Mechanism of the New Partnership for Africa's Development. This book discusses the links between these institutions, and 20 years jurisprudence stemming from the entry into force on 21st October 1986 of the major African human rights instrument, the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.

This book attempts to provide a comprehensive analytical overview of human rights in Africa, dealing particularly with the regional system of human rights protection. Four themes are followed throughout the book, these are: the principle of uti possidetis, the tensions in the modern post-colonial African state; poverty; and the interrelationship between national and international human rights protection. The analysis is intended to be comprehensive yet concise, analytically critical yet accessible, and a combination of both theoretical and practical aspects.

Readership: Academics, scholars, and advanced students in International Human Rights law