The African Union is accusing the International Criminal Court in The Hague of “hunting Africans” because of the glaring racial imbalance of cases the World Court pursues.

The African Union (AU) is demanding the International Criminal Court (ICC) end proceedings against Kenya's president Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto, both of whom are accused of crimes against humanity. 

“African leaders have come to a consensus that the (ICC) process that has been conducted in Africa has a flaw,” AU chair and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said at the close of a two-day summit of the 54-member bloc.

“The intention was to avoid any kind of impunity, but now the process has degenerated to some kind of race hunting.”

Desalegn complained that “99 percent” of those charged by the ICC were African. "It shows that something is biased in the ICC system, and we challenge it," he said.

Mr Kenyatta is due to be tried in July on charges arising from accusations that he fuelled ethnic violence after disputed elections in 2007.  Critics say those charges were based on a biased investigation that appeared to be fed by Kenyatta’s opposition.

Since then, Kenya’s two major ethnic groups managed to come together for this year’s presidential elections.  The results were close, but there was no significant violence, and his neighbors and international community recognize Kenyatta’s victory.

The AU says the charges against Kenyatta should be handled by Kenya’s criminal justice system.