The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights has welcomed the Republic of Madagascar as the 33rd member state after it signed the protocol establishing the court.

In a statement by the Registrar, Dr Robert Eno, on Monday, the court said the move is “an excellent development and we exhort Madagascar to also make the special declaration under Article 34(6) to allow individuals and NGOs to access the court directly,’’

Also in her remark, the President of the African Court, Lady-Justice Imani Daud Aboud, reminded other states which have not ratified the protocol and made the special declaration to do so.

States that have deposited the declarations so far are eight. These are Burkina Faso, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Malawi, Mali, Niger, and Tunisia.

The African Court was set up on June 9, 1998, in Burkina Faso and came into force on January 25, 2004.

The court is composed of 11 judges who are nationals of member states of the African Union elected in their individual capacity.