It's done. The University of Kinshasa (UNIKIN) has qualified for the finals of the prestigious mock trial pleading competition organized before the International Criminal Court (ICC) by the Hague Academy of International Law.

This was the outcome of the semi-final match played this Thursday, May 23, 2024, against Paris Nanterre University. The four students from the DRC's leading university institution defeated the students of this French university in a very close match.

In the final, the "Inspired Hill" team will face off once again this Friday, May 24, 2024, at the headquarters of the International Criminal Court against the team from Paris II Panthéon-Assas University. The match will be streamed live on the ICC website.

It should be noted that the UNIKIN team is made up of four students from the Faculty of Law: Maxime Kitengie, Déborah Sabanga, Schekinha Mujinga and Christopher Mpiana.

They are accompanied by two instructors from the Department of Public International Law and International Relations, Faculty of Law of UNIKIN, namely Japhet Tekila and Bruno Kalala.

For the record, the first edition of the Moot Court Competition took place in 2022. Initiated by the Hague Academy of International Law, this competition aims to stimulate the study of international criminal law, to participate in the training of young lawyers and to contribute to strengthening skills and knowledge in international criminal law.

The competition consists of three consecutive phases, namely the phase relating to briefs, known as the "qualifying" phase, the oral pleading phase held in The Hague and comparable to pleading hearings before the ICC in which the ten best teams participate and finally the final.

For the selected teams, the Academy of International Law will cover, within the limits of the budget made available to it, transport, accommodation, and a modest per diem for teams admitted to the oral pleading phase from countries included on the list of countries receiving official development assistance established by the OECD.

Members of teams that have either reached a ranking or participated in the oral argument phase receive a certificate stating their result and/or their access to the oral phase. Members of the winning team receive a certificate and a prize.