Venezuela and Chad are the latest to challenge ICC authority

Venezuela and Chad have recently announced their decisions to denounce the Rome Statute, initiating procedures for their definitive exit from the International Criminal Court (ICC). These moves align with a broader trend of countries distancing themselves from the tribunal and coincide with criticisms leveled against the court by the Trump administration.

Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, accused the ICC of accumulating cases to "aggress" nations of the "global south," including her own country, justifying the decision to withdraw. Just three days later, Chad announced its process to leave the Rome Statute, citing the court's "limited effectiveness" and its focus on the global south since its inception in 2002.

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the ICC accumulates files to attack the peoples of the "global south," including the South American country.

Several countries have already completed their withdrawal from the ICC. Burundi was the first, formally leaving the Rome Statute in 2017 after the court opened an investigation into alleged crimes in the country. Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte withdrew the Philippines in 2019 following a preliminary examination into abuses during his "war on drugs."

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limited effectiveness

More recently, Niger, part of the Sahel Alliance of military governments, left the court this year, accusing it of partiality and acting as a "neocolonial tool." Mali and Burkina Faso, other members of the Sahel Alliance, have also announced their withdrawal. Some nations have initiated withdrawal processes only to reverse them, such as Gambia under Yahya Jammeh, a decision later revoked by its democratic successor. South Africa also notified its intent to leave after a controversy involving Omar al-Bashir, but its courts declared the notification unconstitutional, revoking the withdrawal.

Furthermore, major powers like the United States, Russia, China, Israel, and India have never been active participants in the court, either by not ratifying the treaty or by withdrawing their signatures in the early stages.

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neocolonial tool