Sierra Leone has withdrawn the candidacy of Professor Charles Chernor Jalloh for a seat on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and thrown its support behind Kenya’s Judge Phoebe Okowa, who has subsequently secured election to a full nine-year term.
The decision was announced on Tuesday, November 3, during the United Nations General Assembly election of five members of the ICJ, held at the UN headquarters in New York.
Addressing the Assembly, Sierra Leone’s representative said the decision was not taken lightly, describing Professor Jalloh as one of the finest international lawyers of his generation.
Jalloh’s candidacy had received endorsements from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union (AU) and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), alongside nominations from 13 member states across different regions.
However, Sierra Leone said the need to preserve Africa’s representation on the Court informed its decision to withdraw his candidacy and support Okowa.
In explaining the decision, the country’s representative argued that Africa, despite having 54 member states, occupies only three of the Court’s 15 seats, representing 20 per cent of its membership.
The representative warned that continued division among African candidates could jeopardise the continent’s opportunity to retain its existing representation on the international judicial body.
Following the withdrawal, Okowa secured 183 votes in the General Assembly, comfortably exceeding the required absolute majority of 97. She also secured the necessary majority in the UN Security Council, completing her election.
The five judges elected for the 2027–2036 term are Phoebe Okowa of Kenya, Dapo Akande of the United Kingdom, François Alabrune of France, Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud of Jordan and Rena Lee of Singapore.
Okowa had previously joined the Court in November 2025 to complete the remaining term of former Somali judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, who resigned. Her latest election gives her a full nine-year mandate beginning February 6, 2027.
The ICJ, based in The Hague, Netherlands, is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. It adjudicates legal disputes between states and provides advisory opinions on questions of international law.
Sierra Leone’s decision marks a notable development in the country’s participation in international judicial affairs, particularly given the regional and institutional backing previously secured by Jalloh’s candidacy.
