BREAKING: Niger submits formal bid to leave ICC
Niger has officially filed its request to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), according to the Hague-based tribunal. The move comes nine months after Niger, alongside Mali and Burkina Faso, announced plans to leave the court.
The three Sahel nations are currently governed by military administrations that assumed power through a series of coups between 2020 and 2023. In September 2025, they jointly declared their intention to withdraw from the ICC, accusing the institution of serving as a tool of neo-colonial influence and external domination.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the ICC confirmed that it received Niger’s formal withdrawal notice on June 18. The document was submitted under the leadership of General Abdourahamane Tiani, the country’s military ruler.
Under ICC regulations, Niger’s withdrawal will become effective on June 18, 2027, one year after the notification was received. Until then, the country remains bound by its obligations to the court.
The ICC expressed disappointment over Niger’s decision, stating that although nations have the sovereign right to join or leave international treaties, such departures weaken the collective global effort to combat impunity for serious international crimes.
The court’s statement did not provide any update regarding the withdrawal processes of Mali or Burkina Faso.
All three countries continue to grapple with persistent insurgencies by extremist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. At the same time, their security forces have faced allegations of human rights abuses and crimes against civilians.
Established in 2002, the International Criminal Court is tasked with prosecuting individuals responsible for grave offences such as war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide when national authorities are unable or unwilling to do so.
The ICC currently counts 125 member states. However, several major countries, including the United States, Russia, Israel, China, and Myanmar, are not parties to the court.
