But fearing that the West wants to prosecute their leader, Kim Jong Un, for human rights abuses, North Korean officials are beginning to rely on soft words instead of hard power.

The African Union and Kenya have formally asked the U.N. Security Council to suspend an International Criminal Court prosecution of the Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy on the grounds that it is undermining the Kenyan leaders' efforts to fight terrorism.

The International Criminal Court has launched a new civic education programme on its operations, targeting areas that were heavily affected by the 2007/08 post election violence. The court's field outreach coordinator in Kenya Maria Kamara said the new initiative is aimed at providing accurate information about the ICC to communities in areas hit by the violence.