The International Criminal Court swears in Gambian lawyer Fatou Bensouda as its new prosecutor Friday, the first woman to assume the top job at the world war crimes tribunal.

She replaces Argentinean Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the inaugural prosecutor for the world court, whose nine-year term ends this month.

Bensouda served as Moreno-Ocampo's deputy at the court based in The Hague, Netherlands. Member nations that recognize the court's jurisdiction voted for her unanimously during a December meeting at the United Nations.

Her appointment comes amid fierce criticism against the court - which has a heavy caseload of Africa investigations - that it disburses justice selectively by focusing on the continent.

The court currently has investigations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Uganda, Kenya, Sudan, Ivory Coast and Libya.