Abstract
As of April 2020, the IMF categorised seven African countries as being in debt distress, whilst identifying twelve more that were at high risk of becoming distress. It is no longer a secret that considered immutable and eternally binding, debt by the global south (i.e., poor developing African countries) has become a tool for imperial powers in the post-colonial world to enforce and perpetuate their dominance over the global south. This is despite serious global crises that emerge from, and/or were caused by the rich countries of the global north; specifically, the negative effects of the global financial crisis of 2008, devastating impact of Covid-19 pandemic, and impact of Russia–Ukraine war on the African economies and contribution to these debt vulnerabilities. Yet, the rich countries of the global north have insisted on these poor countries to continue financing their debts. The paper considers how African countries could legally cancel the repayment of the debts by relying on the principles of international law (such as pacta sunt servanda, limit to legal obligation to pay, force majeure, State of Necessity or rebus sic stantibus) and States’ declarations to commitment to sustainable development agenda (such as the European Union’s response to the adoption of the 2030 Agenda featured in its Commission’s 2016 Communication) could be used as justifying grounds for cancellation of Africa debts. The paper draws on international law and development in the light of dependency and postcolonial theories and employs the human rights-based approach, interdisciplinary and critical-analytical perspective and using qualitative empirical evidence from rich countries and institutions of the global north and poor developing countries of the global south for analysis.
Funding source: Bradford Law School
Award Identifier / Grant number: 001
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Editorial
- Introduction: Law and Sustainable Development
- Articles
- Tackling Corruption in Foreign Investment: Insights from Investment Arbitration Cases
- The Second War Between the States: How the United States Became the World’s Best Tax Haven
- BEPS: Changing International Fiscal Standards and the Unchanging Fortunes of ‘Sustainable Development’
- China’s Approach to Sustainable Development in Free Trade Agreements
- International Law and Sustainable Development: Grounds for Cancellation of Africa Debts
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Editorial
- Introduction: Law and Sustainable Development
- Articles
- Tackling Corruption in Foreign Investment: Insights from Investment Arbitration Cases
- The Second War Between the States: How the United States Became the World’s Best Tax Haven
- BEPS: Changing International Fiscal Standards and the Unchanging Fortunes of ‘Sustainable Development’
- China’s Approach to Sustainable Development in Free Trade Agreements
- International Law and Sustainable Development: Grounds for Cancellation of Africa Debts