Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have officially begun the year-long legal process of withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC), marking another significant step in the three military-led governments' effort to distance themselves from Western-backed international institutions.
The court is the world's permanent war crimes tribunal, which prosecutes individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression when national courts are unwilling or unable to act.
The ICC confirmed on Wednesday that the three Sahel nations had submitted formal notifications to withdraw from the Rome Statute—the treaty that established the Hague-based court and governs its jurisdiction over genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression. Under Article 127 of the Rome Statute, a withdrawal becomes effective one year after the court receives formal notice.
Claims of neocolonial bias
The three governments first announced their intention to leave the ICC in September 2025, describing the court as "a tool of neocolonial repression" that disproportionately targets African nations while failing to hold powerful countries to the same standards.
