The ruling military juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have announced that their countries will withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing the tribunal of practicing “selective justice.”
The decision, though significant, was widely anticipated following the military coups that brought army leaders to power in all three West African states. The ICC, based in The Hague, is a permanent global tribunal responsible for prosecuting war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
Since the coups, the military rulers of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have cut ties with their long-standing Western partners and with the West African regional bloc (ECOWAS). Instead, they have been forging new alliances, particularly with Russia—whose president, Vladimir Putin, remains under an ICC arrest warrant for war crimes related to the war in Ukraine.
In a joint statement issued late last night, the three juntas declared that the ICC had become an “instrument of neocolonial repression in the hands of imperialism.” While they did not elaborate further, they emphasized their desire for greater sovereignty and even hinted at the creation of a regional alternative to the ICC.
The withdrawal process from the ICC typically takes at least one year. Earlier this year, Hungary also announced its decision to exit the Court, signaling growing challenges to the tribunal’s authority.
Analysts warn that this move could further weaken accountability for human rights abuses in the Sahel region, where instability, military rule, and security threats from extremist groups continue to undermine civilian protection.
