A rights-protection goldmine or a waiting volcanic eruption? Competence of, and access to, the human rights jurisdiction of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice

Abstract

In 2005, the Economic Community of West African States adopted an additional protocol to complement the 1991 Protocol establishing its Community Court of Justice. One of the high points of the 2005 Additional Protocol was the conferment of a human rights mandate on the Court. Since then, the Court has entertained some cases of a human rights nature. Basis on an analysis of the documents and jurisprudence of the Court, this article examines certain issues relating to the human rights competence of the Court and addresses the question of access to the Court.