Three West African countries under military leadership have kickstarted the process for withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Court announced on Thursday, July 2nd.
In September last year, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger denounced the ICC as “a tool of neocolonial repression.” The Court—a permanent global war crimes tribunal—was viewed as undermining their efforts to combat Islamist violence within their borders. However, a statement from the ICC aimed to remind the trio that the decision to withdraw does not release them from obligations incurred while they were still parties to the Rome Statute, the treaty that establishes the Court and provides jurisdiction over individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.
The ICC itself has faced various recent difficulties of its own making, from a bad-faith attempt to prosecute Israel to allegations of serious sexual misconduct levelled at its chief prosecutor.
