Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have accused The Hague-based court of “selective justice”
Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have announced their withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), denouncing The Hague-based tribunal as an instrument of imperialist “neocolonial repression.”
The three West African states said on Monday that their decision, aimed at “fully asserting” their sovereignty, takes immediate effect. Bamako, Niamey, and Ouagadougou ratified the Rome Statute of the ICC in 2000, 2002, and 2004 respectively.
In a joint statement under the banner of the Confederation of Sahel States (AES), Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger said they had cooperated with the court since joining, but claimed it has revealed itself as a “global example of selective justice.”
“The ICC has proven itself incapable of handling and prosecuting proven war crimes, crimes against humanity, crimes of genocide, and crimes of aggression,” the AES stated.
The countries accused the court of maintaining “an inexplicable, disconcerting, and complacent silence” on certain crimes while “relentlessly” targeting actors “outside the closed circle of beneficiaries of institutionalized international impunity.”
The court has in recent years faced criticism for allegedly shielding individuals from powerful nations while pursuing cases largely against figures from Asia and Africa. In March, international relations expert Ali Hammoud also told RT that the ICC lost its legitimacy by serving the political interests of certain powers.
Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have for years battled deadly insurgencies waged by jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS). The authorities in Mali, where the violence first erupted, referred the situation to the ICC in 2012, but in more than a decade, the court has pursued only two prosecutions.
The Sahel states said they intend to establish “indigenous mechanisms for the consolidation of peace and justice” following their withdrawal from the Rome Statute.
Under the Rome Statute, withdrawal from the ICC takes effect one year after written notification is received by the UN secretary-general.
In January, the three military-led governments formally pulled out of the West African regional economic bloc (ECOWAS), accusing it of undermining their sovereignty and serving as a tool of foreign powers, particularly France.
