African Human Rights Oversight Bodies
African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights
Seat: Banjul, The Gambia | Operating Since: 1987
The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) is the AU’s quasi-judicial body charged with promoting and protecting human rights in the 54 Member States of the AU that have ratified the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (frequently known as the “Banjul Charter”). Based in Banjul, The Gambia, the Commission has operated since 1987. It receives and decides communications, reviews State reports, develops soft-law standards through general comments, principles, guidelines and resolutions, and works through a system of special mechanisms including special rapporteurs, committees, and working groups.
Visit our page on the ACHPR to learn more about this human rights body.
African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights
Seat: Arusha, Tanzania | Operating Since: 2006
The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) is the judicial organ of the African regional human rights system. Based in Arusha, Tanzania, it began operating in 2006 and delivered its first judgment in 2009. The Court has advisory and contentious jurisdiction concerning the interpretation and application of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (“Banjul Charter”), the Protocol establishing the Court (Court Protocol or AfCHPR Protocol) and other relevant human rights instruments ratified by the States concerned. The Court’s jurisdiction extends to those States that have ratified the Court Protocol.
The Court complements the protective mandate of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) and may receive cases referred to it by the ACHPR, State parties and African intergovernmental organizations. Individuals and NGOs with observer status before the ACHPR may bring cases directly only where the respondent State has deposited the declaration required under Article 34(6) of the Court Protocol.
Visit our page on the AfCHPR to learn more about this human rights body.
African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child
Seat: Maseru, Lesotho | Operating Since: 2002
The African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) is the AU body responsible for interpreting and monitoring implementation of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (African Children’s Charter or ACRWC). It is headquartered in Maseru, Lesotho, having relocated there from Addis Ababa following an agreement between the AU and Lesotho. The Committee hears communications, reviews State reports, adopts general comments and substantive guidance, undertakes country missions and develops standards relating to child rights in Africa.
Visit our page on the ACERWC to learn more about this human rights body.
Additional Oversight Bodies
East African Court of Justice
The East African Court of Justice (EACJ) is the judicial body of the East African Community. It interprets and applies the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community and related legal instruments, and is tasked with resolving disputes involving the East African Community and its Member States. The EACJ does not presently have a fully operationalized standalone human rights jurisdiction under Article 27(2) of the EAC Treaty. However, the Court continues to hear treaty-interpretation cases involving the rule of law, good governance, accountability, and human rights related principles under Articles 6(d) and 7(2) of the Treaty. The Court is therefore best described as a treaty-based rule of law forum with important human rights implications, rather than as a fully-fledged human rights court.
Visit our page on the EACJ to learn more about this tribunal.
Economic Community of West African States Court of Justice
The Community Court of Justice of ECOWAS (ECCJ) is the principal judicial organ of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). It is based in Abuja, Nigeria. Since the 2005 Supplementary Protocol to the ECOWAS Revised Treaty, the Court has had jurisdiction to determine cases of human rights violations occurring in member states. Individuals may bring such complaints directly, without first exhausting domestic remedies, provided the application is not anonymous and is not pending before another international court.
Visit our page on the ECCJ to learn more about this tribunal.
Southern African Development Community Tribunal
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Tribunal was established under the Treaty of the Southern African Development Community and inaugurated in 2005. It was intended to ensure compliance with the Treaty and related instruments and, during its brief operational life, developed jurisprudence with significant implications for rights, property, and the rule of law. The original Tribunal was suspended after 2010 and has not resumed its former general jurisdiction. Its human rights related jurisprudence should therefore be understood as historically important, but the institution itself is not currently active as a general regional court.
Visit our page on the SADC Tribunal to learn more about it.
COMESA Court of Justice
The COMESA Court of Justice is the judicial organ of a regional economic community, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). It was established under the COMESA Treaty and is responsible for settling disputes arising under the COMESA Treaty between COMESA’s Member States, Secretary General, individuals, and corporations. The COMESA Court does not function as a general human rights court, focusing mainly on economic and commercial matters. Its jurisdiction is treaty-based, although rights-related arguments may arise where the COMESA Treaty, including provisions that affirm human rights and the rule of law, is engaged. Individuals and corporations may in some circumstances bring cases under the Treaty, subject to its procedural rules and any applicable domestic-exhaustion requirements.
Visit our page on the COMESA Court of Justice to learn more about it.
The African Instruments
The African Commission and Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights are charged with interpreting and applying a number of regional human rights instruments, which include:
They also interpret the principles contained in the following non-treaty documents:
Additional Tools for Victims & Advocates
See IJRC’s publication Advocacy before the African Human Rights System: Manual for Attorneys and Advocates (2016) for detailed information on the System, its components, complaints procedure, and decisions.
Decisions of the African human rights bodies can be accessed through the online libraries of the Commission (ACHPR), the Court (AfCHPR) and the Committee (ACERWC). However, the most effective tool for researching their caselaw is the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa’s Case Law Analyser. For additional research tools, see IJRC’s guide on Researching International Human Rights Law.
The NGO Forum supports and coordinates civil society engagement with the African Commission, through twice yearly meetings ahead of the Commission’s sessions.
Additional information on engagement with the African Commission and Court can be found in the Commission’s Guide to the African Human Rights System and Guidelines for Submitting Complaints, as well as in the International Service for Human Rights’ publications, Road Map for Civil Society Engagement: State Reporting Procedure of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (2025) and A Human Rights Defenders’ Guide to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (2012).
