Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger Withdraw from International Criminal Court

By Harry Sekulich
Interim
Interim President of Mali Colonel Assimi Goita (L), head of military junta in Niger Abdourahamane Tchiani (C) and Interim leader of Burkina Faso Ibrahim Traore (R)

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have announced they will immediately withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), labelling it an instrument of neo-colonialist repression.

The three military-led countries issued a joint statement, saying they would not recognise the authority of the United Nations' top court, based in The Hague.

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.

The court has not yet responded to the decision by the three countries, all of which have close ties to Russia whose leader Vladimir Putin has been subject to an ICC arrest warrant.

The three states expressed their intent to establish indigenous mechanisms for the consolidation of peace and justice.

They accused the ICC of targeting less privileged countries, echoing criticism from Rwanda's President Paul Kagame who has previously accused the ICC of holding an anti-African bias.

The ICC was established in 2002 to legally pursue cases of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and aggression. Out of 33 cases launched since its inception, all but one have involved an African country.

A country's withdrawal from the ICC officially takes effect one year after the UN is notified.

Military junta forces have been in control of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger following coups in the Sahel region between 2020 and 2023. These nations make up the only three members of the Confederation of Sahel States.

Their armies have faced accusations of crimes against civilians as violence has escalated against jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

Earlier this year, all three countries simultaneously withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), rejecting its demands to restore democratic rule.

In recent years, Russia has strengthened its ties with the three Sahel countries, which have become increasingly isolated from the West, particularly from France, a former colonial power.

In 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over alleged war crimes in Ukraine.