The International Criminal Court (ICC) has formally confirmed that Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have submitted official letters to withdraw from the Rome Statute, initiating a mandatory one-year exit process.

The three military-led West African nations denounced the tribunal as a “tool of neocolonial repression” amid ongoing Islamist insurgencies and allegations from rights groups of atrocities committed by both militants and state armed forces.

In response, the ICC presidency warned that the move severely weakens global efforts to end impunity and undermine justice.

ICC also noted that the legal exit does not absolve any country from accountability or obligations incurred while they were party to the treaty.

–Channel Africa–