FREETOWN — The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has formally endorsed Professor Dr. Charles C. Jalloh, Sierra Leone’s candidate, for election as a Judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for the 2027-2036 term .
The endorsement came during the 69th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, held on 19 July 2026 in Lungi, Sierra Leone. Paragraph 73 of the final communique states: “The Authority welcomes the spirit of solidarity demonstrated by Member States in support of regional candidatures and endorses the candidature of the Republic of Sierra Leone for the position of Judge of the International Court of Justice for the period 2027-2036.”
Professor Jalloh, a distinguished international jurist, serves as the Founder and Executive Director of the Center for International Law and Policy in Africa (CILPA), based in Freetown . He is also a member of the United Nations International Law Commission, to which he was twice elected by the UN General Assembly, and currently serves as Special Rapporteur for the topic of Subsidiary Means for the Determination of Rules of International Law .
Sierra Leone first nominated Professor Jalloh as its candidate in October 2024 . His candidacy rests on a career defined by rigorous scholarship, service on the International Law Commission, and extensive experience in international legal practice, including service as a Legal Adviser in the Special Court for Sierra Leone .
The summit, chaired by Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, brought together nine Heads of State and senior officials from across the region . The ICJ endorsement was grouped under the broader agenda item on harmonising ECOWAS positions in international organisations, reflecting the bloc’s growing ambition to coordinate diplomatic influence on the global stage.
Professor Jalloh has already commenced pre-election diplomatic engagements, including meetings in Brussels with representatives from China, France, Russia, Somalia and Pakistan . Ambassador Philip Bob Jusu, who accompanied Professor Jalloh during those talks, emphasised that Sierra Leone’s current chairmanship of ECOWAS underscores both national resolve and wider regional interests in strengthening the international legal order .
The election for the full nine-year ICJ term is scheduled for November 2026 in New York, where Professor Jalloh will compete against candidates from other member states . With ECOWAS now formally aligned behind his bid, diplomatic observers note that the region’s collective lobbying power could prove decisive in the coming months.
Beyond the ICJ endorsement, the Lungi summit also saw leaders appoint Senegal’s General Birame Diop as the new President of the ECOWAS Commission and elect Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye as the new Chair of the Authority. The bloc reaffirmed its commitment to launching the ECO single currency in 2027 and addressed pressing security concerns across the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin .
