According to Mr Blay- Amihere in most cases victims of war crimes have been left to their fate and they often also found it difficult to re-integrate in society.

Mr Blay-Amihere, Ghana’s former Ambassador to Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast, said this during a panel discussion commemorating the 20th anniversary of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Accra.

The programme was organised by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) in collaboration with Trust Africa and the Africa Centre for International Law and Accountability (ACILA).

It was on the theme: “20 years of the ICC: the Hits, Misses and Prospects for Pursuing Justice for Victims of Atrocity Crimes”.

The Former Ambassador to Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast said social interventions such as re-integration, rehabilitation and re-construction ought to be put in place for displaced victims.

He observed that after war, many states lacked funds, logistics, and personnel to dispense justice, hence made it difficult to handle cases at the national level.

Mr Blay-Amihere who shared his experiences on the Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast conflicts, said he saw no reason why one party should be held responsible for war crimes, adding that both parties’ actions and omissions contributed to those conflicts.

On the challenges of the ICC, Mr Blay-Amihere cited the lack of political will by leaders to trial war crimes, saying that after war “we see potential indicted persons in power and this make it difficult for their trial”.

Professor Anne Pieter Van Der Mei, a Professor of Law at the Maastricht University, said the creation of the ICC was an achievement despite its challenges.

According to Prof. Mei the challenges confronting the ICC was a structural problem because the mistakes of some judges and prosecutors was not the court’s problem.

He pointed out the ICC over the years had spent over 2.3 billion Euro’s with over 800 staffs had secured two convictions and one acquittal.

Prof. Mei cautioned the ICC to also listen to opposing views in order to make progress in a matter before them.

“I get the feeling that the ICC is acting as if it’s the almighty priest of the church court of International Criminal Justice and that priest is not sufficient in listening to the church members that are having doubts about the gospel that is being preached in that church, or that are critical about the way the church is run,” Prof. Mei opined.

Prof. Henry Kwesi Prempeh, the Executive Director of CDD-Ghana, urged the government to align the country’s national laws to the provision of the Rome Statute by passing the ICC bill, which has been in waiting for past six years.

Mr William Nyarko, Executive Director, ACILA, said certain cases such as genocide, crimes against humanity could not be handle at the national courts, hence the need to refer to ICC to deal with.