Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have jointly declared they will withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), calling the Hague-based tribunal a tool of “neo-colonialist repression.”
In a coordinated statement on Tuesday, the three military-led governments said they no longer recognize the court’s jurisdiction and accused it of disproportionately targeting African nations. They pledged to establish “indigenous mechanisms for the consolidation of peace and justice” to handle war crimes and human rights abuses within their territories.
The move deepens the trio’s political isolation from Western powers and international institutions. All three countries have been ruled by military juntas since coups between 2020 and 2023 and have increasingly turned toward Russia for diplomatic and military partnerships.
The ICC, created in 2002 to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and aggression, has opened 33 cases since its founding — the vast majority involving African nations. Critics, including Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, have long accused the court of having an anti-African bias.
Under ICC rules, a member state’s withdrawal becomes effective one year after it formally notifies the United Nations Secretary-General. The court has not yet issued a public response to the announcement by Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
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The decision comes as security conditions in the Sahel region continue to deteriorate. All three armies face allegations of abuses against civilians amid a worsening insurgency by jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State. International rights groups have warned that impunity for such abuses could worsen under military rule.
Earlier this year, the three countries also withdrew simultaneously from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) after rejecting the bloc’s demand for a swift return to civilian governance. The departure from both ECOWAS and the ICC signals an effort to assert sovereignty and consolidate their joint alliance, formalized as the Confederation of Sahel States.
Their announcement comes against the backdrop of strained relations between the ICC and Moscow. In 2023, the court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over alleged war crimes in Ukraine. Analysts say the Sahel states’ growing alignment with Russia may have influenced their decision to quit the court.
The withdrawals are likely to draw criticism from human rights advocates, who warn that victims of war crimes in the region could lose access to international justice mechanisms.
Africa Daily News, New York
