Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have declared their immediate withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), branding it an “instrument of neo-colonialist repression” and pledging to establish their own regional mechanisms for justice.
The announcement, made in a joint statement by the military-led governments, intensifies the Sahel nations’ breakaway from Western institutions.
“The ICC has proven itself incapable of handling and prosecuting proven war crimes, crimes against humanity, crimes of genocide, and crimes of aggression,” the three leaders said. They further argued that the court unfairly targets less privileged countries, echoing longstanding African criticism of the ICC.
The ICC, headquartered in The Hague, was established in 2002 to prosecute individuals for the world’s gravest crimes including genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and aggression.
Yet, out of the 33 cases it has launched since inception, all but one have involved African countries. Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame has previously criticized the institution for what he called its anti-African,bias, a sentiment that appears to resonate strongly in Bamako, Ouagadougou and Niamey.
Although the three governments declared their “immediate” withdrawal, the Rome Statute stipulates that a state’s exit officially takes effect one year after the UN Secretary-General is notified. Until then, the countries technically remain under the court’s jurisdiction.
The ICC has not yet issued an official response to the announcement.
The Sahel states also signaled a turn toward self-determination, stating they would set up “indigenous mechanisms for the consolidation of peace and justice.”
Critics, however, note that their armies have themselves been accused of abuses against civilians amid escalating violence linked to jihadist groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
The decision also reflects a broader geopolitical realignment. Military juntas have been in power in all three countries since coups between 2020 and 2023.
Earlier this year, they simultaneously pulled out of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), rejecting demands to return to democratic rule.
They have since strengthened ties with Russia, whose president, Vladimir Putin, remains wanted by the ICC under an arrest warrant issued in 2023.
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger now make up the Confederation of Sahel States, a regional alliance aimed at reinforcing sovereignty.
Their withdrawal from the ICC, analysts suggest, underscores both their resistance to external pressure and the risks to international accountability for crimes committed in the conflict-torn Sahel.
