25.The African Court already applies this methodology, which is well known
in
international litigation law. ln addition to generally having the "competence of
jurisdiction" in the event
of a dispute, the
international courts and the
international instruments creating them often give them the legal basis to deploy
their jurisdiction. ln a complex argumentation the ICJ recalled that it has
:
"an inherent power which aulhorizes it to take all necessary measures, on the
one hand, to ensure that, if its jurisdiction on the merits is established, the
exercise of that jurisdiction does not prove futile, and, on the other hand, to
ensure the regular settlement of all points in dispute...
"1a
.
Professors Mathias Forteau and Alain Pellet saw this as
a kind of
implicit
jurisdiction within the competence of the lnternational Courl of Justicels.
26.Sometimes the international judge, in order to clarify a position or to explore
other aspects inherent in its jurisdiction, uses the applicable law rather than the
strict rules which conventionally define and frame its jurisdiction.
27.The affirmation of the role of the ICJ in international human rights law provides
an example of this. ln 2010, the Court in The Hague rendered its judgmenton
the merits in the case of Ahmadou Sadio Diallo - Guinea v. Congo-Kinshasa'6.
The Court ruled on claims of violations of human rights treaties. This case
showed that, in addition to having general jurisdiction over the rights of States,
r' ,\irtlc,rr
7'tsts (ir.ra (,\'crt
laulunl v l:rdnct). Judgmcnt ol'10 I)cccmbcr 197-1. l:CR 197.1. pp. 2-59-J6-3
lrortcau (M.) and l>cllct (^.). l)nit internutiottd puhlic.l:d. L(;l)J.2009.p. l00l:Visschcr(Ch. l)c). Quclqucs
aspccts r(icsnts du tlroit proctrdural cls la CIJ. l:d. l)i'donc. 1966.219 p.; Santulli (C.). t.cs.juridictions rlc droit
intcmational :cssai d'idcnt illcat ion. l;l)1. 2001. pp. .15-{r l .
ru l-hr' ICJ statcs thût ''having rcgard
^ to the conditions undcr rvhich Mr. l)ialkr rras crpcllcd lionr ('ongolesc
''
territorl on -l I Januarv 1996. thc [)cnrocratic Rcpublic oI thc Congo violatcd Aniclc l3 ol' thc lntemational
Covcnant on Civil and l)olitical ltights and Ârticlc 12. paragraph l. of thc Àliican ('hancr on llurnan and l'coplcs'
Rights". or that ''having rcgard to thc conditions undcr rvhich ,llr. l)iullrt uas crpcllcd liorn (iongolesc tcrritorv
on.iIJanuarl 1996. thc l)cnrocratic Rcpublic ol'thc Ciongo violatcd Ârticlc li ol'thc lnternational Covenant on
l]. paragraph .1. ot'thc Âliican Chartcr on Ilurnan and ['ctrplcs' Rrghts". or
Civil and [)olitical Rights antl
^niclcundcr rvhich i!lr. t)iallo rvas cxpcllcd liom ('ongolcsc tcrritorl on 3l January
that "having rcgard to thc conditions
1996. the l)enrocralic Rcpuhlic ol' thc Congo violatcd Âniclc li ol' the Intcrnation:rl Colcnant on Civil and
t)olitical Rights and
ll. paragraph -1. of thc Âliican Chancr on lluman anil l)coplcs' Rights". l)iallo rvas
in 1995-1996 silh a vicu ttr his tlcponation. thc I)crnocratic Rcpublic ol'thc Conqo violatcd
arrcstcd and dctaincd^nicle
anicle 9, paragraphs I and 2. ol'1hr"' Intcrnational Covcnant on Civil and tkrlitical Rights and aniclc 6 ol'thc
rl'hich
Chartcr on I luman and l)coplcs' ltights. l'his case showcd that lhc gcncral jurisdiction en.jol cd b1' thc lCJ.^liiciln
rclates to "an! rnattcr ot' intcnrat ional larr" undcr Âniclc -l (r §l (b) olits Statutc. can bc ertcndcd to hurnan rights.
9