Decolonising International Relations: African Perspectives on Global Justice - The Case of the Gambia in the International Court of Justice

Bakary S. Sonko, Ebrima Boye and Mustapha Jawneh
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Bakary S. Sonko: HSE University & University of the Gambia
Ebrima Boye: HSE University & University of the Gambia
Mustapha Jawneh: HSE University & University of the Gambia

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 2025, vol. 9, issue 10, 8221-8227

Abstract: This paper analyses The Gambia's legal activism at the ICJ as a pivotal case study of decolonising IR in practice. It argues that Gambia's case against Myanmar for alleged genocide against the Rohingya demonstrates how a small African state can avail itself of international legal mechanisms to challenge global power hierarchies and assert a vision of justice rooted in postcolonial solidarity and African philosophical traditions. Going beyond the level of theoretical critique, the paper draws on primary documents of the ICJ and The Gambia's legal submissions to demonstrate a form of "decolonisation-in-action." It examines how The Gambia succeeded in overcoming procedural hurdles, championed the erga omnes partes character of the Genocide Convention, and repurposed the ICJ as a cornerstone of the international system-as an instrument of accountability. While cognizant of resource asymmetry and geopolitical constraints, the study concludes that Gambia's strategic agency constitutes a transformative blueprint of how the Global South states might play the role of active shapers of international norms from within.

Date: 2025
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