The 50-year-old lawyer has been serving since 2004 as the deputy to Luis Moreno-Ocampo. She previously worked as a legal adviser at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in Tanzania.
Two African candidates were still competing for the position after a long selection process. Fatou Bensouda was the front-runner after her candidacy was endorsed by the African Union in July, but the other remaining candidate, Tanzania's Mohamed Chande Othman, was considered as "more solid" by certain African countries.
Successor to Luis Moreno-Ocampo should be formally elected by the Assembly of States Parties - the body representing the 119 countries that support the tribunal - at its tenth annual meeting in New York on December 12.
SM/GF
© Hirondelle News Agency