Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger Withdraw from ICC, Labeling it Neo-Colonialist

Tue Oct 21 2025 02:17:43 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

In a joint statement, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger declare they will no longer recognize the authority of the International Criminal Court, citing a history of anti-African bias and calling for indigenous justice mechanisms.

Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have announced their immediate withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), branding it a tool of neo-colonial repression. The military leaders of these nations criticized the ICC for failing to effectively prosecute war crimes and pledged to pursue alternative justice mechanisms. This decision follows a pattern of increasing ties with Russia and a distancing from Western influences.

Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have announced they will immediately withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), labelling it an instrument of neo-colonialist repression.

The three military-led countries issued a joint statement, stating they would not recognize the authority of the United Nations' top court, based in The Hague.

The ICC has proven itself incapable of handling and prosecuting proven war crimes, crimes against humanity, crimes of genocide, and crimes of aggression, the three leaders said.

The court has not yet responded to the decision by the three countries, all of which have close ties to Russia, whose leader Vladimir Putin is under an ICC arrest warrant.

The three states expressed a desire to establish indigenous mechanisms for the consolidation of peace and justice, while accusing the ICC of targeting less privileged nations—a sentiment echoed by Rwanda's President Paul Kagame regarding an anti-African bias.

Established in 2002, the ICC aims to pursue cases of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and aggression. Out of 33 cases launched since its inception, all but one involved an African country.

A withdrawal from the ICC officially takes effect one year after the United Nations is notified. Military junta forces currently lead Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger following coups in the Sahel region from 2020 to 2023, and these nations are the only members of the Confederation of Sahel States.

Accusations of crimes against civilians have been levied against their armies, as violence escalates in the area against jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. Earlier this year, the three countries also withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) simultaneously, rejecting demands for a return to democratic governance.

Russia has solidified its alliances with these nations recently, which have become isolated from the West, particularly from their former colonial power France. In 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Russia's President Vladimir Putin over alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

}