ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Samrawit Getaneh Damtew

Samrawit Getaneh Damtew is a legal researcher at the Secretariat of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, and a part-time PhD researcher at the University of the Western Cape.

POSTS BY Samrawit Getaneh Damtew

28 August 2025

Can Africa Still Drill?

While the ICJ found that any State suffering from climate change can bring charges against others for their contribution to climate change, the opinion does not distinguish between the obligations of developed and developing States (except where treaty law already imposes different obligations). African States and the African Union have continued to support fossil fuel development on the continent. In light of this advisory opinion, what obligations are imposed on developing States, like African States, to protect the climate, particularly regarding the further development of fossil fuel industries? Continue reading >>