Niger makes it official, submitting its withdrawal from the ICC nearly nine months after first threatening to leave.
Niger formally files to quit ICC, exit to take effect in a year
Niger has finally put it in writing. The military-led government has formally submitted its request to exit the International Criminal Court, nearly nine months after first announcing the plan.
Niger, alongside allies Mali and Burkina Faso, has long accused the ICC of being an “instrument of neo-colonialist repression.” The court confirmed it received Niger’s withdrawal notice on June 18, with the exit kicking in a year from now.
Until then, Niger stays bound by the court’s founding treaty. The ICC, headquartered in The Hague, handles cases of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression.
BBC News reports the move reflects a wider Sahel pivot away from Western institutions toward Russia. Niger joins Burundi and the Philippines as only the third country ever to leave the ICC.
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