Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger’s military governments have withdrawn from the International Criminal Court (ICC), condemning it as a “neocolonial instrument of imperialist repression.” The joint announcement, made on Monday, marks another shift in West Africa’s Sahel region, which has seen eight coups between 2020 and 2023.
The three nations, now governed by military regimes, have already distanced themselves from the West African bloc ECOWAS, forming the Alliance of Sahel States. They have also reduced defense ties with Western nations while strengthening relations with Russia.
In their statement, the countries criticized the ICC for failing to address war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and aggression, calling it a tool of neocolonial oppression, per Barron’s citing AFP. They vowed to establish “indigenous mechanisms” to promote peace and justice.
Under ICC rules, withdrawal takes effect one year after formal notification to the UN secretary-general. This move aligns the Sahel states with nations like Russia, whose leader, Vladimir Putin, faces an ICC arrest warrant issued in March 2023 over the Ukraine conflict.
The Sahel trio continues to combat jihadist insurgencies linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, while their security forces face allegations of civilian atrocities.
Based in The Hague since 2002, the ICC prosecutes grave crimes like war crimes and genocide when national courts cannot or will not act. Of its 33 cases, all but one have involved African nations.
