Many African leaders, as well as the AU as a body, have claimed the ICC unfairly targets Africans, while ignoring war crimes suspects in other parts of the world.
However, several of the African cases at the ICC were brought to trial at the request of the countries themselves, including from Uganda, DR Congo, Central African Republic and Mali.
The Kenyan cases moved to the ICC after a failure to make headway in a domestic court.
Amnesty International has criticised the move, saying it is a “worrying attempt by the Kenyan authorities to avoid justice”.
The rights group called on the 34 AU members who have signed the ICC’s founding Rome Statute – including Kenya – to “protect the international justice mechanism they have committed to”.
Both Kenyatta and Ruto deny the charges and have agreed to cooperate fully with the ICC.
Lamamra said Africa remains committed to justice on the continent.
“Africa is committed to fighting impunity, but fighting impunity is not exclusive through the ICC,” he said.
Despite optimistic rhetoric at Saturday’s anniversary celebrations praising the spirit of pan-Africanism, the bloc is riven with divisions.
Splits revealed by the 2011 conflict in Libya – when members squabbled between those wanting to recognise rebels and those backing leader Muammar Gaddafi – showed its disunity and lack of global clout.
Gaddafi’s death also stripped the AU of a major source of funding, and diplomats say the leaders have also been discussing ways to find backers for the cash-strapped body.
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