Niger has officially submitted its request to withdraw from the International Criminal Court, the tribunal said on Tuesday, nine months after the country announced the move alongside Mali and Burkina Faso.
The ICC confirmed it received an “instrument of withdrawal” from Niger on June 18. The withdrawal will take effect on June 18, 2027, one year after notification. Niger must continue to honor its obligations to the court until that date, the statement said.
Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso — all ruled by military governments that took power in coups between 2020 and 2023 — jointly announced their intention to leave the ICC in September last year. The three countries called the court an “instrument of neo-colonial repression in the hands of imperialism.”
Niger is currently led by General Abdourahamane Tiani.
“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 a statement sent to AFP.
The ICC’s statement made no mention of Mali or Burkina Faso.
The three Sahelian nations continue to face deadly violence from jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. Their armies have also faced accusations of crimes against civilians.
Founded in 2002, the International Criminal Court prosecutes individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide when countries are unwilling or unable to do so themselves. The court currently has 125 member states. The United States, Russia, Israel, China, and Myanmar are not members.
