By Spy Uganda
Niger has officially submitted its request to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), nine months after the country’s military government announced its intention to leave the global tribunal alongside fellow Sahel states Mali and Burkina Faso.
The ICC confirmed that it received Niger’s formal “instrument of withdrawal” on June 18, setting in motion a one-year process before the country’s exit takes effect.
In a statement, the Hague-based court noted that Niger remains bound by its obligations under the Rome Statute until the withdrawal becomes effective.
“Niger remains under the obligations arising from the Statute while it is still a State Party,” the court said.
The move marks a significant step in Niger’s growing effort to distance itself from international institutions that its military leaders accuse of serving foreign interests.
In September 2025, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso issued a joint declaration announcing their intention to withdraw from the ICC, describing the court as an “instrument of neo-colonialist repression” that allegedly targets African nations while failing to apply justice equally across the world.
The three military-led governments said they would no longer recognize the authority of the court and pledged to establish alternative regional mechanisms for justice and peace-building.
“We are committed to creating indigenous mechanisms for the consolidation of peace and justice,” the countries said at the time.
While Niger has now formally submitted its withdrawal request, the ICC’s latest statement did not indicate whether Mali and Burkina Faso have completed similar procedures.
Niger’s withdrawal from the ICC is the latest in a series of decisions that have reshaped political alliances across the Sahel region.
In 2024, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso simultaneously exited the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), accusing the regional bloc of serving external interests and imposing unfair sanctions following military takeovers in their countries.
The three nations later formed the Confederation of Sahel States, a new regional alliance aimed at strengthening political, economic and security cooperation among the military-led governments.
Military juntas currently govern all three countries following coups that took place between 2020 and 2023.
The withdrawals come as the Sahel continues to grapple with worsening insecurity linked to jihadist groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
Despite promises by military leaders to restore stability, violence has continued to spread across large parts of the region, resulting in thousands of civilian deaths and widespread displacement.
At the same time, national armies in the three countries have faced accusations from human rights organizations of committing abuses against civilians during counterinsurgency operations.
Established in 2002, the ICC prosecutes individuals accused of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression. The court has historically played a role in investigating alleged atrocities in conflict zones around the world, including several African countries.
The decision also reflects a broader geopolitical shift underway in the Sahel.
In recent years, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, all former French colonies, have increasingly distanced themselves from Western partners while strengthening diplomatic, military and economic ties with Russia.
The shift has coincided with the departure of French troops from the region and the expansion of Russian security cooperation.
The ICC currently has an outstanding arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin over alleged war crimes linked to the conflict in Ukraine. Russia does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction and is not a member state.
Other major powers, including the United States, Israel and China, also remain outside the ICC system.
Once the withdrawal takes effect, Niger will become only the third country to leave the ICC since the court’s establishment more than two decades ago. The only previous withdrawals were by Burundi in 2017 and Philippines in 2019.
The development marks another milestone in the evolving political landscape of the Sahel, where military-led governments are increasingly building alternative regional alliances and challenging the authority of international institutions they view as dominated by Western powers.
