Chad has announced plans to withdraw from the International Criminal Court, accusing the tribunal of limited and uneven effectiveness and concentrating the majority of its activities on African countries.

The decision places Chad alongside Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, which jointly announced in September that they would leave the court, describing it as an instrument of neo-colonial repression controlled by imperial powers.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Chadian government said its decision followed an extensive review of the ICC’s operations since the court began functioning in 2002 and an assessment of its record across different regions.

A government spokesperson said the review showed that the court’s effectiveness remained limited and uneven, while its investigations and prosecutions appeared disproportionately focused on Africa.

According to the government, nine of the 13 investigations opened by the ICC since it became operational concern African countries, compared with four investigations in other regions which it claimed had recorded no concrete progress.

Chad also noted that seven people were in the court’s custody, six of whom were being prosecuted in cases connected to African situations.

The government said those figures reinforced its concern that the court had failed to apply international criminal justice evenly across regions.

Chad’s decision was also linked to a request reportedly made by the United States during a telephone conversation with Chadian officials.

A statement published on the official website of Chad’s foreign minister said the United States Deputy Secretary of State responsible for African affairs had urged the government to reconsider its membership of the ICC during a call on Thursday.

“The American side expressed its concerns about the functioning of this institution and called on Chad to review its accession to the Rome Statute,” the statement said.

The Rome Statute is the treaty that established the ICC and provides the legal framework for its jurisdiction over individuals accused of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression.

The announcement comes amid allegations by national and international organisations concerning Chad’s suspected involvement in the continuing conflict in neighbouring Sudan.

The Chadian government’s planned withdrawal adds to growing resistance to the ICC among several Sahel countries governed by military authorities.

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, whose military governments came to power through coups between 2020 and 2023, had accused the court of targeting African states while failing to pursue alleged international crimes elsewhere with equal determination.

The three countries described the ICC as an “instrument of neo-colonial repression in the hands of imperialism” when they announced their joint withdrawal.

Chad has not disclosed when it will formally submit its withdrawal notice or the specific timetable for completing the process. Under the Rome Statute, a withdrawal generally takes effect one year after the United Nations Secretary-General receives a formal written notification.

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