Sidiki Kaba (born 21 August 1950) is a Senegalese politician who served as the 15th

Prime Minister of Senegal The prime minister of Senegal () is the head of government of Senegal. The prime minister is appointed by the president of Senegal, who is directly elected for a five-year term. The prime minister, in turn, appoints the Cabinet of Senegal, afte ...

from 6 March 2024 to 3 April 2024. He is the keeper of the seals and the Minister of Justice of Senegal since 2013. On 8 December 2014, he was elected President of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court as consensus candidate from the African States Parties and endorsed by the Bureau of the Assembly. He served as President of the Assembly, which operates from New York and The Hague, while also continuing his functions as Minister of Justice from Dakar. Sidiki Kaba studied law. He has dedicated his professional career to the promotion and protection of human rights, particularly on issues related to freedom of press, women's and political rights. He participated in the 1998 negotiations of the Rome Statute and thereafter he implemented numerous campaigns to promote the ratification of the Statute by Senegal and many other African countries. In 2001, he became the first African to be elected President of the

International Federation of Human Rights The International Federation for Human Rights (; FIDH) is a non-governmental federation for human rights organizations. Founded in 1922, FIDH is the third oldest international human rights organization worldwide after Anti-Slavery International a ...

, organization that he had previously represented to the African Commission on Human and People's Rights. He is founder of numerous legal and advocacy organizations.

Early life

Sidiki Kaba attended the regional elementary school of

Tambacounda Tambacounda (; Wolof: Tambaakundaa ) is the largest city in eastern Senegal, southeast of Dakar, and is the regional capital of the province of the same name. Its population in 2023 was 149,071. Geography Tambacounda is situated on the sparsel ...

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

, and the Lycée Van Volhonoven (currently Lycée Lamine Gueye) in Dakar, graduating in 1972. He obtained three bachelor's degrees at the

University of Abidjan A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest city and ...

: in law, in philosophy and in modern literature. He also obtained a master in business law at the

University of Dakar Cheikh Anta Diop University (), also known as the Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, is a university in Dakar, Senegal. It is named after the Senegalese physicist, historian and anthropologist Cheikh Anta Diop and has an enrollment of over 60, ...

in Senegal, and was admitted to the Bar of Senegal in 1980.

Human rights activist

Sidiki Kaba has worked extensively establishing organizations of human rights in Africa. In 1979 he joined the Senegalese section of

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

. In 1982 he co-founded the Inter-African Union of Lawyers ( Union interafricaine des avocats) From 1990 to 1997 he was the representative of the

FIDH The International Federation for Human Rights (; FIDH) is a non-governmental federation for human rights organizations. Founded in 1922, FIDH is the third oldest international human rights organization worldwide after Anti-Slavery International a ...

to the

African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) is a quasi-judicial body tasked with promoting and protecting human rights and collective (peoples') rights throughout the African continent as well as interpreting the African Char ...

. In this capacity he presented numerous communications, investigations and advocated before the thematic and specialized mandates of the Commission. From 1985 to 2000 he was member of the Board of the Bar of Senegal. From 1995 to 1997 he served as expert member of the Senegalese Committee of Human Rights. From 1987 to 1995 he was the Vice-president of the National Organization of Defense of Human Rights ( l'Organisation nationale de défense des droits de l'Homme), the first defense organization in Senegal. He presided the ONDH from 1995 until 2001. In 1992 he founded and joined the board of the Inter-African Union of Human Rights ( l'Union interafricaine des droits de l'Homme) (UIDH), regional organization based in Ouagadougou (

Burkina-Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...

). In 1995 he founded and presided the African Center for the Prevention of Conflicts − ( Centre africain pour la prévention des conflits) (CAPREC), and the African Center for the study of human rights and democracy in Banjul (

Centre africain pour les études des droits de l'Homme et de la démocratie Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricit ...

) (ACDHRS). From 1998 until 2001 he served as Vice-President of the

Fédération internationale des ligues des droits de l'homme (FIDH), and as its president from 2001 until 2007. He is since 2007, honorary president of the FIDH. During his term as president, he represented the FIDH globally and among numerous regional organizations, including the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

African Union The African Union (AU) is a continental union of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the African Union. The b ...

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

League of Arab States League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football * ''League of Legends'', a 2009 multiplayer online battle a ...

Organization of American States The Organization of American States (OAS or OEA; ; ; ) is an international organization founded on 30 April 1948 to promote cooperation among its member states within the Americas. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, the OAS is ...

, the

International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an intergovernmental organization and International court, international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute ...

, and the

International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR; ; ) was an international court, international ''ad-hoc'' court established in November 1994 by the United Nations Security Council in United Nations Security Council Resolution 955, Resolutio ...

. He was also the legal representative in communications concerning the case of Ely Ould Dah v

Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...

. As President of the FIDH he led inquiry and high-level missions to Colombia, the Russian Federation, the United States, Guatemala, Egypt, Israel, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tunisia, Algeria, Ecuador, and Libya. He has contributed to the training of human rights activists from Colombia, Nicaragua, United States, the Russian Federation, Turkey, Israel, Morocco, Zimbabwe and Chad. He has served as consultant for the UNDP, UNICEF, the NGO

Tostan Tostan (meaning "breakthrough" in Wolof) is a US-registered 501(c)(3) international non-governmental organization headquartered in Dakar, Senegal. The organization's mission is "to empower communities to develop and achieve their vision for the ...

and the Bar of Lome, Togo. He served as observer for the

International Commission of Jurists The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) is an international human rights non-governmental organization. It is supported by an International Secretariat based in Geneva, Switzerland, and staffed by lawyers drawn from a wide range of jurisdi ...

for the electoral processes in Madagascar, Guinea, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, Mali, Niger, Benin and Senegal. He was mediator in the conflict of

Casamance Casamance is the area of Senegal south of the Gambia, including the Casamance River. It consists of the Lower Casamance (, —i.e. Ziguinchor Region) and the Upper Casamance (, —i.e. Kolda and Sédhiou Regions). The largest city of Casamance ...

. As a lawyer in Dakar he has worked to bring numerous cases to Senegal and African tribunals to defend political activists and opposition leaders such as: * Defense lawyer before domestic tribunals of

Laurent Gbagbo Koudou Laurent Gbagbo
, FPI website . ( G ...

Simone Gbagbo Simone Ehivet Gbagbo (born 20 June 1949), National Assembly website (2007 archive page) . is an Ivorian politician. She is the president of the Parliamentary Group of the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) and is a vice-president of the FPI. As the wi ...

and more than 120 members of the Popular Front Ivoirien (FPI) * Defense lawyer of

Alassane Ouattara Alassane Dramane Ouattara (; ; born 1 January 1942) is an Ivorian politician and economist who has been List of heads of state of Ivory Coast, President of Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) since 2010. An economist by profession, he worked for the I ...

in Côte d'Ivoire * Defense lawyer of

Idrissa Seck Idrissa Seck (born 9 August 1959) is a Senegalese politician who was Prime Minister of Senegal from November 2002 to July 2004. He was a leading member of the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS) and was considered a protégé of President Abdoula ...

, former prime minister of Senegal * Defense lawyer of

Alpha Condé Alpha Condé (N'Ko: ; born 4 March 1938) is a Guinean politician who served as the fourth president of Guinea from 2010 to 2021. He spent decades in opposition to a succession of regimes in Guinea, unsuccessfully running against then-President L ...

, opposition leader in

Guinea Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...

* Defense lawyer of

Abdoulaye Wade Abdoulaye Wade (, ; born 29 May 1926) is a Senegalese politician who served as the third president of Senegal from 2000 to 2012. He is also the Secretary-General of the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS), having led the party since it was founded ...

and 200 militants of the Democratic Party of Senegal He has also defended human rights activities: * Defense lawyer of human rights activists and political opponents, including Halidou Ouedraogo, President of the Burkinabe Movement of Human Rights in the case

Norbert Zongo Norbert Zongo (31 July 1949 – 13 December 1998), also known under the pen name Henri Segbo or H.S., was a Burkinabé investigative journalist who managed the newspaper ''L'Indépendant'' in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Under Zongo's supervisi ...

(Burkina-Faso) * Defense lawyer of journalists Abdoulaye Bamba Diallo and Papa Samba Khane, as well as other journalists * Defense lawyer of René Denis Segui, former president of the Ivoirian Ligue of Human Rights, and former Rapporteur of the United Nations on Extra-judicial executions * Defense lawyer of Fatimata Mbaye and Cheikh Saad Bouh Kamara from

He has also served as defense lawyer of victims: * Chadian victims in the case of

Hissène Habré Hissène Habré (Arabic: ''Ḥusaīn Ḥabrī'', Chadian Arabic: ; ; 13 August 1942 – 24 August 2021), also spelled Hissen Habré, was a Chadian politician and convicted war criminal who served as the 5th president of Chad from 1982 unt ...

, in Senegal and Belgium *

Jacqueline Moudeina Jacqueline Moudeina (born 1957) is a Chadian lawyer and human rights activist, who is known for her work in bringing Hissène Habré to justice for crimes against humanity, as well as those who worked with him. Biography Jacqueline Moudeina was ...

(Chad), before the

UN Committee against Torture The Committee Against Torture (CAT) is a treaty body of human rights experts that monitors implementation of the United Nations Convention against Torture by state parties. The committee is one of eight UN-linked human rights treaty bodies. A ...

in 2001

Minister of Justice

Sidiki Kaba was appointed Minister of Justice of Senegal in 2013 by then Prime Minister Aminata Toure. As Minister of Justice he is in charge of preserving the judicial independence, prepares the justice policy of the State, and is charge of organizing the public service and justice education. He has authority over penitentiary administration and functions as Vice-President of the Superior Council of the Magistrature. Along with the Ministers of Economy, Finance and Planning he represents Senegal at the Organizations for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa (OHADA) He is also in charge with the establishment of the specialized Chambers and of overseeing the trial against

, the former dictator from Chad, and of the trial of the son of former president

Karim Wade Karim Meïssa Wade (born 1 September 1968) is a Senegalese politician who served in the government of Senegal as Minister of State for International Cooperation, Regional Development, Air Transport, and Infrastructure from May 2009 to April 201 ...

on embezzlement charges.

President of the Assembly of States Parties

Sidiki Kaba was elected President of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court on 8 December 2014. His mandate ran from the thirteenth to the sixteenth session of the Assembly, from 2014 until December 2017. He succeeded

Tiina Intelmann Tiina Intelmann (born 25 August 1963) is an Estonian diplomat; she was the Permanent Representative of Estonia to the United Nations in New York from 2005 to 2011 and was the President of the Assembly of States Parties of the International Crimi ...

, who held this position since December 2011, and was succeeded by

O-Gon Kwon O-Gon Kwon (; born 2 September 1953) is a South Korean jurist, best known for being one of the three judges in the trial of Slobodan Milošević. He also sat on the bench for the trial of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžić. Early li ...

Honors

Sidiki Kaba was granted the titles of Chevalier of the National Order of the Lion of Senegal (2001), Officer of the

Legion of Honor of France The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was o ...

(2002), and Chevalier of the

National Order of Mali The National Order of Mali () is the highest of honorific orders of Mali. History The National Order of Mali was founded on 31 May 1963 to celebrate the independence of the country acquired in 1960 after decades of French colonisation. As ...

(2011). He is Laureate of the Prize for the Promotion of the Culture of Democracy in Africa (awarded by the Pan African Observatory of Democracy in Togo, in 2003), and is an Honorary Citizen of Quito, Ecuador (2004),

Academic activities and publications

Sidiki Kaba has lectured at the Ake Loba College of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, the Human Rights and Peace Institute of the

, Senegal and at Evry Val d’Esson University, France. He has published several books, including on international criminal justice and human rights in Senegal and Africa. His publications include: * "L'avenir des droits de l'Homme en Afrique à l'aube du XXIème siècle" (1996) collection XAAM SAA YOON, Dakar, Sénégal * "Les droits de l'Homme au Sénégal" (1997) collection XAAM SAA YOON, Dakar, Sénégal * "Défendre la déclaration universelle des droits de l'Homme" (1998) * " La justice universelle en question, Justice de blancs contre les autres?" (2010), L'Harmattan

Prime minister

On March 6, 2024, Sidiki Kaba was appointed Prime Minister of Senegal.

References

* FID
"FIDH elects Sidiki Kaba"
"

", Rabat, 2001-01-14 * Africa as a countr
"Aminata Toure named Prime Minister of Senegal"
Africa as a country, Dakar, September 2013 * Dakar Actualit

Dakar Actualite, September 2014 * Decree 87

July 2014 * Assembly of States Parties 10–1
"Minister of Justice of Senegal, H.E. Mr. Sidiki Kaba, endorsed for the position of President of the Assembly, meets with States Parties in New York"
"

Assembly of States Parties The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the ...

" October 2014 * Assembly of States Parties 12–1
"Assembly of States Parties concludes its thirteenth session"
"

" 18 December 2014 {{DEFAULTSORT:Kaba, Sidiki Living people 1950 births Senegalese Muslims Senegalese human rights activists International Federation for Human Rights Defense ministers of Senegal Foreign ministers of Senegal Justice ministers of Senegal Prime ministers of Senegal Presidents of the Assembly of States Parties of the International Criminal Court Senegalese diplomats People from Tambacounda region Recipients of orders, decorations, and medals of Senegal