The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Mamadou Tangara, on Monday received the International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, in his office in Banjul.

Discussion between the two centred on the end of her mandate as Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court at The Hague amongst other issues of interest to The Gambia.

Ms Bensouda extended her gratitude to the Government of The Gambia for the stance taken in condemning sanction imposed on her and other officials of the ICC by the Trump administration.  

The administration of the then US president Donald Trump hit Bensouda and another senior ICC official last year with sanctions including a travel ban and an asset freeze over the inquiry, which includes alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan.

Ms Bensouda will be replaced by British barrister Karim Khan as ICC Chief Prosecutor at the end of her term in June 2021.

As Chief Prosecutor, Ms Bensouda has secured high-profile convictions against Ugandan child soldier turned Lord’s Resistance Army commander Dominic Ongwen, and Congolese warlord Bosco “Terminator” Ntaganda.