🇲🇱🇧🇫🇳🇪 Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso withdraw from the International Criminal Court

The governments of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso (Sahel Alliance of States (AES)) have jointly announced their immediate withdrawal from the Rome Statute of the ICC.

In a joint communiqué issued in Bamako on September 22, the three states accused the ICC of transforming into an instrument of “neocolonial repression in the hands of imperialism” and practicing “selective justice.”

The statement emphasized that while the ICC has remained silent toward certain international crimes, it has disproportionately targeted leaders and countries outside the Western sphere. The AES governments framed the withdrawal as an act of sovereignty and reaffirmed their commitment to developing internal mechanisms for justice, human rights, and the fight against impunity.