Niger hands in formal request to quit ICC

Niger, now under military rule, has officially submitted its request to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC). This move, announced nine months after similar declarations by allies Mali and Burkina Faso, signals a growing alignment among Sahelian nations governed by hardline military regimes that seized power through coups between 2020 and 2023.

These three countries have collectively distanced themselves from the West and have openly criticized the ICC. They jointly declared their withdrawal last September, denouncing the court as an "instrument of neo-colonial repression in the hands of imperialism." The ICC confirmed receipt of Niger's "instrument of withdrawal" on June 18, according to a statement sent to AFP.

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instrument of neo-colonial repression in the hands of imperialism

The withdrawal will not be immediate; it will take effect on June 18, 2027, exactly three years after Niger submitted its notification. Until that date, Niger is expected to honor its obligations to the court. The ICC expressed regret over decisions that depart from the "collective effort to end impunity for the most serious international crimes," while acknowledging that treaty withdrawal is a sovereign right under international law.

Notably, the ICC's statement did not mention the status of Mali or Burkina Faso's withdrawal processes. The region faces significant challenges, including deadly violence from jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. However, the armies of these Sahelian nations have also faced accusations of committing crimes against civilians, a context that complicates their stance against the ICC, whose mission is to prosecute perpetrators of the most serious international crimes when national authorities are unable or unwilling to do so.

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we regret any decision to depart from the collective effort to end impunity for the most serious international crimes