Tuesday, September 23, 2025 - The West African states of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have announced their withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), declaring they no longer recognise its jurisdiction.
The three military-led governments accused the court of
arbitrarily prosecuting war crimes and serving as an “instrument of
neo-colonialist repression.” They stressed, however, their commitment to
protecting human rights in accordance with their own values.
This is not the first time the countries have taken such a
stance. They previously used similar arguments to justify their withdrawal from
the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Human rights groups and UN experts have accused the armed
forces and allied militias in Mali and Burkina Faso of committing war crimes
during operations against Islamist insurgents, in addition to atrocities
carried out by the militants themselves. National authorities say
investigations are ongoing, though none have produced public conclusions.
The ICC, based in The Hague, has been prosecuting serious
crimes such as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity since 2002.
While all EU countries are members, the United States, Israel, and Russia are
not signatories.
Despite abundant resources like gold and uranium, which are
largely extracted by European and North American companies, Mali, Burkina Faso,
and Niger remain among the world’s least developed nations. Situated in the
Sahel on the southern edge of the Sahara, they also sit on major smuggling and
migration routes toward Europe.
Between 2020 and 2023, military leaders seized power in all
three former French colonies after elected governments failed to quell Islamist
insurgencies. Since then, the juntas have distanced themselves from Western
partners and drawn closer to Russia for military cooperation.
0 Comments