8 months ago
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The military-led West African nations of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger connected Monday (September 22, 2025) announced their withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, branding it a "neo-colonial" imperialist tool.
The juntas which took implicit successful Bamako, Ouagadougou and Niamey aft coups betwixt 2020 and 2023 person since allied themselves successful a confederation called the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) and distanced themselves from the West, notably from erstwhile assemblage ruler France.
The court, based successful The Hague, was "an instrumentality of neo-colonialist repression successful the hands of imperialism," the 3 countries said successful a associated statement.
"The ICC has proven itself incapable of handling and prosecuting proven warfare crimes, crimes against humanity, crimes of genocide, and crimes of aggression," they said.
The 3 States besides said they wanted to make "indigenous mechanisms for the consolidation of bid and justice".
A State's withdrawal lone takes effect 1 twelvemonth aft the authoritative submission of the lawsuit to the UN wide secretariat.
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger person notably drawn person to countries specified arsenic Russia, whose President Vladimir Putin has been the taxable of an ICC apprehension warrant since March 2023 implicit the warfare successful Ukraine.
The West African countries are facing deadly unit from jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, but their armies are besides accused of crimes against civilians.
Founded successful 2002, the International Criminal Court's ngo is to prosecute the perpetrators of the astir superior crimes, specified arsenic warfare crimes, erstwhile countries deficiency the volition oregon capableness to bash truthful themselves.
