Niger has officially submitted its request to withdraw from the International Criminal Court

Niger, ruled by a junta since 2023, has officially filed its request to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), nearly a year after announcing it with its allies Mali and Burkina Faso, the institution said Tuesday.

These three Sahelian countries, led by authoritarian juntas that came to power through coups between 2020 and 2023, advocate a policy of sovereignty and have turned their backs on the West. They have formed the Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

In September 2025, they jointly announced their withdrawal from the ICC, describing it 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 on June 18 a notification of a request to withdraw from the institution from Niger, led by General Abdourahamane Tiani.

This request "will take effect on June 18, 2027, one year after the date of receipt of the notification", in accordance with the ICC regulations, it specifies.

Niger must, however, continue to honor its obligations within the ICC until its withdrawal takes effect, the institution specifies.

"Although joining or withdrawing from a treaty remains a sovereign right of States under international law, we regret any decision to evade the collective effort to end impunity for the most serious international crimes," the Court added.

The ICC did not mention the cases of Mali and Burkina Faso.

Founded in 2002, the International Criminal Court's mission is to prosecute the perpetrators of the most serious crimes committed in the world, when countries do not have the will or the capacity to do so themselves.

The institution previously had 125 members. The United States and Russia are not among them, nor are Israel, China, or Burma.

She regularly faces criticism, particularly in African countries where she is accused of predominantly prosecuting figures from the continent.

The three ESA countries are facing deadly violence from jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, but their armies are also accused of crimes against civilians.

AFP