- The court, based in The Hague, was “an instrument of neo-colonialist repression in the hands of imperialism,” the three countries said in a joint statement
The governments of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger on Monday announced their immediate withdrawal from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In a joint statement issued in Bamako, the three countries said they had ratified the Rome Statute between 2000 and 2004 and had since cooperated with the ICC under the treaty as well as related agreements.
However, over time the ICC had “become a neo-colonial instrument of repression in the hands of imperialism” and “a global symbol of selective justice,” they said.
According to the statement, the court has failed to prosecute clear cases of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and aggression, remaining “inexplicably, confusingly and complacently silent” toward perpetrators of such crimes, while targeting actors outside what it called the “institutionalized circle of impunity” in violation of its own statute.
The three governments said their sovereign decision to quit the Rome Statute “reflects the will of the Sahel Confederation member states to safeguard their sovereignty.” They pledged to strengthen peace and justice through home-grown mechanisms, while reaffirming their commitment to promoting and protecting human rights in line with their social values and rejecting all forms of impunity.
The statement also expressed gratitude to the United Nations and its member states, reaffirming that the Sahel Confederation countries would continue to cooperate in other appropriate frameworks to advance human rights and respect for state sovereignty.
In September 2023, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger signed the Liptako-Gourma Charter in Bamako, agreeing to establish the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
On July 6, 2024, the three countries announced the creation of the Confederation of the AES in Niamey, marking a significant step toward establishing an economic-military bloc.
A State’s withdrawal only takes effect one year after the official submission of the case to the UN general secretariat
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have notably drawn closer to countries such as Russia, whose President Vladimir Putin has been the subject of an ICC arrest warrant since March 2023 over the war in Ukraine.
The West African countries are facing deadly violence from jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, but their Armies are also accused of crimes against civilians.
Founded in 2002, the International Criminal Court’s mission is to prosecute the perpetrators of the most serious crimes, such as war crimes.
Written with additional reports from Xinhua, France 24
