Fatou Bensouda Becomes First African ICC Chief

Fatou Bensouda was sworn in as the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on Friday, making her not only the first African, but also the first woman, to lead the United Nations-backed tribunal.

First of all, let me say that yes, I am an African, and I am very proud of that. But I am a prosecutor for 121 states parties, she said on Friday, responding to long-held criticisms that the international court has been used by Western powers to influence Africa.

Bensouda, who was a legal adviser for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, replaced Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the Hague court's first prosecutor, who served for nine years.