Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have jointly announced their withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing the Hague-based tribunal of acting as an instrument of “neo-colonial repression.”
The three military-led governments issued a joint statement on Monday, declaring the ICC “incapable of delivering impartial justice” and charging that the court disproportionately targets African states. The move comes months after the trio exited the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and formalized their own security bloc, the Alliance of Sahel States, signaling a growing rift with international and regional institutions.
All three nations have been ICC members for over two decades. They contend the court no longer reflects their interests and vowed to establish homegrown justice mechanisms to investigate crimes and human rights abuses within their borders.
Under Article 127 of the Rome Statute, the withdrawal process takes effect one year after formal notification, meaning Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger remain legally bound by the court’s obligations during the transition period.
Human rights organizations have condemned the decision, warning it could further erode accountability in the Sahel, a region already plagued by jihadist insurgencies, intercommunal violence, and allegations of abuses by both militants and state security forces.
Despite widespread criticism, the three governments maintain that quitting the ICC is essential to assert their sovereignty and build justice systems free from what they describe as external interference.
