Niger Formally Notifies The International Criminal Court Of Withdrawal Plans

Niger has taken the official step of notifying the International Criminal Court of its intention to exit the Hague-based institution, the court confirmed on Tuesday, nearly a year after the country first announced the decision alongside two regional allies, Mali and Burkina Faso.

All three Sahelian nations are currently governed by military juntas that seized power through coups staged between 2020 and 2023.

In September last year, they made a joint declaration of intent to leave the ICC, denouncing the court as an “instrument of neo-colonial repression in the hands of imperialism.”

In a statement issued to AFP on Tuesday, the ICC confirmed it had received an “instrument of withdrawal” dated June 18 from Niger, which is under the leadership of General Abdourahamane Tchiani.

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Under ICC rules, the withdrawal will not take effect until June 18, 2027, exactly one year from the date of notification.

Until then, Niger remains bound by its existing obligations to the court.

“While joining or withdrawing from a treaty remains a sovereign right of States under international law, we regret any decision to depart from the collective effort to end impunity for the most serious international crimes,” the ICC said in its statement.

The court’s statement did not address the status of similar withdrawal processes for Mali and Burkina Faso.

All three countries are battling severe jihadist insurgencies connected to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, while their own armed forces have simultaneously faced accusations of committing atrocities against civilian populations.

The ICC was established in 2002 with a mandate to prosecute individuals responsible for grave international offences including war crimes, particularly in cases where national governments are unable or unwilling to act.

The court currently counts 125 member states, excluding major powers such as the United States, Russia, China, Israel, and Myanmar.