The Economic Community of West Africa Community Court (ECOWAS Community Court) has commenced the training of Judges and staff on International Humanitarian Law (IHL), also called the law of war or the law of armed conflict.
The Court in a statement signed by the Communication officer ,Mr Sunny Ugoh, said the training which was part of the two-day training workshop organized in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Abuja is aimed at developing the role and expertise of the judges in the application of IHL and improve the understanding of the staff on the legal framework to better support the judges.
He said the Court addresses many cases related to breaches of International law every year in line with its human rights mandate.
He added that the workshop, which is the first of its kind, will bring together the Court’s five judges and more than 20 staff drawn mainly from the Court’s Registry and the Research and Documentation Department.
“As a number of countries in West Africa are dealing with armed conflicts, it is more important than ever for judges from our Community Court of Justice to strengthen their understanding of International humanitarian law,” Honorable Justice Edward Amoako Asante, President of the Court said of the workshop.