23/09/2025
Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have jointly announced their withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), describing it as “a tool of neocolonial repression.” The decision, released in a statement on Monday, underscores ongoing political shifts in West Africa’s Sahel region, where eight coups occurred between 2020 and 2023. All three states are currently ruled by military leaders and have already broken away from ECOWAS to establish the Alliance of Sahel States, while reducing defense ties with Western partners and strengthening relations with Russia.
Although the countries have been ICC members for over two decades, they criticized the court as ineffective in prosecuting war crimes, crimes against humanity, crimes of aggression, and genocide, without providing specific cases. The announcement comes amid ongoing battles against Islamist militants who control vast areas and frequently target military bases. Human Rights Watch and other organizations have accused both militants and the militaries of Burkina Faso and Mali of committing atrocity crimes. In April, UN experts alleged that Malian forces summarily executed dozens of civilians, acts that could amount to war crimes.
The ICC has maintained an investigation in Mali since 2013, focused on crimes committed in the northern regions of Gao, Timbuktu, and Kidal, areas that had been under militant control before France intervened militarily later that year. That investigation was originally triggered by a referral from the Malian government. The exit of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger now reflects a broader rejection of international oversight amid their security struggles and geopolitical realignment.
