CIVICUS discusses the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the International Criminal Court (ICC) with Ottilia Anna Maunganidze, Head of Special Projects at the Institute for Security Studies, an African organisation that builds knowledge and skills to enable sustainable peace, development and prosperity in Africa.
Military juntas in power in the three West African countries jointly announced their withdrawal from the ICC on 22 September, denouncing the court as a neocolonial tool biased against Africa. All three countries experienced coups between 2020 and 2023 and now plan to establish their own justice system under their newly formed Alliance of Sahel States (AES). Human rights organisations warn this will jeopardise accountability for atrocity crimes and deprive people of critical legal protection.
