Human Rights Watch (HRW) has slammed the decisions by Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali to pull out of the International Criminal Court (ICC), calling the move a blatant betrayal of victims of horrific human rights abuses.

Tamara Aburamadan, counsel for HRW’s International Justice Program, says the military juntas are hiding behind claims of judicial bias to dodge international scrutiny. While the regimes have publicly attacked the court for being a selective tool, HRW points out that their official notifications to the United Nations completely ignore the mounting global condemnation over atrocities committed by their own security forces.

The rights group warned that this exit follows a dangerous pattern of the juntas systematically stripping away legal protections for their citizens. By cutting ties with the ICC just a year after abandoning the Economic Community of West African States regional bloc, the military authorities have effectively blocked everyday people from seeking independent justice. This leaves local communities completely exposed while government troops, allied militias, and foreign fighters face serious accusations of mass killings, arbitrary detentions, and the forced displacement of thousands during counterinsurgency operations.

HRW emphasised that despite the declarations, the three countries are still legally bound by all treaty obligations until the one-year notice period wraps up in mid-2027. This means they are still required to co-operate with the ICC’s active war crimes investigations in Mali. Pointing out that nations like Gambia and Hungary have successfully reversed their exit decisions in the past, HRW is calling on the African Union and global leaders to pressure the Sahel nations to change course and stay in the global fight against impunity.

–ChannelAfrica/HRW–