Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger withdraw from International Criminal Court

The military-led West African nations of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger on Monday (September 22, 2025) introduced their withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, branding it a “neo-colonial” imperialist device.

The juntas which took over in Bamako, Ouagadougou and Niamey after coups between 2020 and 2023 have since allied themselves in a confederation known as the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) and distanced themselves from the West, notably from former colonial ruler France.

The courtroom, primarily based in The Hague, was “an instrument of neo-colonialist repression in the hands of imperialism,” the three nations stated in a joint assertion.

“The ICC has proven itself incapable of handling and prosecuting proven war crimes, crimes against humanity, crimes of genocide, and crimes of aggression,” they stated.

The three States additionally stated they needed to create “indigenous mechanisms for the consolidation of peace and justice”.

A State’s withdrawal solely takes impact one 12 months after the official submission of the case to the UN basic secretariat.

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have notably drawn nearer to nations akin to Russia, whose President Vladimir Putin has been the topic of an ICC arrest warrant since March 2023 over the struggle in Ukraine.

The West African nations are going through lethal violence from jihadist teams linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, however their armies are additionally accused of crimes towards civilians.

Founded in 2002, the International Criminal Court’s mission is to prosecute the perpetrators of essentially the most critical crimes, akin to struggle crimes, when nations lack the desire or capability to take action themselves.