ECOWAS COMMUNITY COURT OF JUSTICE: FEATURES AND CHALLENGES OF ITS HUMAN RIGHTS MANDATE

The protection and promotion of human rights have remained a top priority of the international community for several decades. The violation of the fundamental rights of States and individuals have given rise to a plethora of conflicts both at the international and national level, thus, requiring effective laws and judicial institutions to accord protection of these rights to persons living within specified national territory. The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice since 2005 acquired jurisdiction over human rights matters, giving bold judgements in condemnation of breach of human rights by member parties of the ECOWAS Community. This paper aims at examining the unique human rights features of the ECOWAS Court of justice as well as the inherent challenges facing the court. The paper finds that despite the huge progress made by the court in receiving and deciding on human rights complaints from individuals and NGOs, the decisions of the court are hardly obeyed by member States and the court has no recognized institution to monitor and implement its decisions. The paper relies on primary and secondary sources of information such as International Conventions and Treaties, Books, Journal articles, Judicial Precedents and Internet materials. The paper concludes that the leadership of ECOWAS Community and the regional court must make concerted efforts in addressing the current challenges confronting the court, including monitoring and implementing the decisions of the ECOWAS Court

WARTIME SEXUAL VIOLENCE OFFENCES: QUEST TO UNRAVEL THE ASSOCIATED CONSEQUENCES IN INTERNATIONAL LAW

Despite increasing awareness and the huge condemnation of sexual violence during armed conflicts in the last decades, the bodies of women and girls continue to be regarded as spoils and bonus of war globally. Warring parties often engage the use of rape and other forms of sexual violence, as a tool to punish, terrorize and destroy targeted ethnic populations. In other instances, rebels and terrorist groups engage sexual violence as a weapon and strategy to advance their mundane objectives. the paper aims at examining the consequences and impact of wartime sexual violence on women, and men as well as the impact of such violence on their family and immediate society during armed conflicts. The paper finds that despite efforts made by the international community through the enactment of laws and resolutions in curtailing the scourge of sexual violence during wartime, rape and other forms of sexual violence are still being employed during armed conflict situations as weapon and tactics of war by soldiers and other armed groups. The paper relies on primary and secondary information such as International Conventions and Treaties, Books, Journal Articles, Judicial Precedents and Internet Materials. Flowing from the above, the paper concludes that the desired need to end sexual violence generated impunity is possible through sensitization and propaganda vide non-governmental organizations, accountability and coordinated enforcement through both domestic and international institutions. The paper further recommends that women and other victims of wartime violence who steps out to speak and report the crime of sexual violence committed against them should be protected and rewarded as this would lead to the massive reporting, arresting and prosecuting of perpetrators of conflict-related sexual violence

X-Raying the Environmental Impact of Armed Conflict in Nigeria

The prevailing armed conflicts in Nigeria particularly in the Niger Delta region and North East have caused massive destruction to human lives and the environment at large. The high-level weapons, bombs and other explosives employed by the Niger Delta Militants, the Boko Haram group and the Nigerian military in counter-terrorism strategies have impacted negatively on farmlands, water-bodies, wildlife and natural forests. The paper examines the history and activities of the armed groups together with the effects of such activities on the Nigerian environment. The paper relies on doctrinal method of research utilizing primary and secondary information. The paper clearly finds that the conflict in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria is attributed to consistent marginalization and undue neglect of the inhabitants by the Government and the oil companies as major stakeholders in the oil and gas industry. The extant legal frameworks on the protection of the environment during armed conflicts were equally examined, including international, regional and domestic instruments pointing out the lacunas inherent in the laws. The paper therefore, recommends that the Nigerian government should engage the armed groups operating in the North Eastern part of the country in more productive negotiations rather than employing armed attacks which have proven to be counter-productive. Keywords: Environment, impact, Armed conflict, legal framework, Protection, Compensation, Negotiation DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/131-01 Publication date: April 30th 202