International Criminal Court... where Milosevich died of old age before being convicted ...
chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said Wednesday she has ordered a preliminary inquiry into events in Mali where Islamists have seized control of the vast north.
The probe would seek to establish if the criteria had been been met to open a fuller inquiry that could result in charges being brought for alleged atrocities in the impoverished west African country.
A leading rights body had accused gangs in the north -- which Islamist and rebel factions seized after a March coup -- of rapes, executions and the use of child soldiers.
"I have instructed my office to immediately proceed with a preliminary examination of the situation," Bensouda said in a statement after talks with Malian Justice Minister Malick Coulibaly.
"The government of Mali... refers the situation in Mali since January 2012 to my office and requests an investigation to determine whether one or more persons should be charged with the crimes committed," the statement said.