Junta-ruled Niger has formally submitted its request to withdraw from the International Criminal Court, the Hague-based tribunal said on Tuesday.
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The development comes nine months after Niger, alongside Mali and Burkina Faso, announced plans to leave the court.
The three Sahelian countries are currently ruled by military governments that came to power through coups between 2020 and 2023. They have also increasingly turned away from Western allies in recent years.
In September last year, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso jointly announced their decision to withdraw from the ICC, describing the court as an “instrument of neo-colonial repression in the hands of imperialism.”
In a statement sent to AFP on Tuesday, the ICC said it received Niger’s “instrument of withdrawal” on June 18.
Niger is currently led by General Abdourahamane Tiani.
According to the court, the withdrawal will take effect on June 18, 2027, one year after the formal notification.
The ICC said Niger remains bound by its obligations to the court until the withdrawal takes effect.
“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.
The statement made no mention of Mali or Burkina Faso.
Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have continued to face deadly attacks by jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. However, their armies have also been accused of committing crimes against civilians.
The International Criminal Court was established in 2002 to prosecute individuals accused of the most serious international crimes, including war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, especially where national authorities are unwilling or unable to act.
The ICC currently has 125 member states.
The United States, Russia, Israel, China and Myanmar are not members of the court.
AFP
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