Burkina Faso, Niger Republic, and Mali have announced their withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The ICC, based in The Hague, is the world’s permanent global
tribunal for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
In a joint statement on Monday, the French-speaking West
African nations, now in a bloc called the Alliance of Sahel States (AES),
accused the ICC of becoming “a global example of selective justice”.
“The ICC has proven itself incapable of handling and
prosecuting proven war crimes, crimes against humanity, crimes of genocide, and
crimes of aggression,” the statement signed by Assimi Goïta, Malian president
and AES chief, reads.
The ICC has been investigating Mali since 2013 over alleged
war crimes committed primarily in the northern regions of Gao, Timbuktu and
Kidal, which had fallen under insurgent control.
A nation’s withdrawal from the court only takes effect one
year after the official submission of the case to the UN general secretariat.
The military-led West African states said the court’s
jurisdiction had “transformed into an instrument of neocolonial repression in
the hands of imperialism”.
The states added that they would create “indigenous
mechanisms for the consolidation of peace and justice”.
The withdrawal comes as the three countries continue to
battle militant groups that control swathes of territory and stage frequent
attacks on military installations.
It also comes more than a year after the trio exited ECOWAS.
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