Jean Emile Somda was a judge from Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...

 who served on the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights

African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights

The African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights was a regional court that was created initially to make judgments on African Union states' compliance with the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights....

 from 2006-2008.

At the time of his appointment, he was on the Constitutional Council of Burkina Faso, which is the constitutional court of the country. Other positions he has held include: Legal advisor to the Minister of Justice, Advisor to the Constitutional Council, Minister for Public Service and Institutional Development, Judge-Constitutional Court, President,-Tribunal of Kaya, President of the Chamber of the Court of Appeals of Ouaga, and Member of Independent Commission of Inquiry into the case of Norbert Zongo.

Somda attended Cheikh Anta Diop University

Cheikh Anta Diop University

Cheikh Anta Diop University , also known as the University of Dakar, is a university in Dakar, Senegal. It is named after the Senegalese historian and anthropologist Cheikh Anta Diop and has an enrollment of over 60,000.-History:...

 in Dakar

Dakar

Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...

, Senegal

Senegal

Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...

and received a Master's in Law degree in 1981.