Chad to withdraw from ICC as it cites bias against Africa

Chad has announced plans to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), arguing that the court’s effectiveness has been “limited and uneven” and accusing it of disproportionately focusing on African countries.

The announcement was made on Monday, July 27, in a statement by a government spokesperson following what Chad described as an in-depth review of the ICC’s performance since it began operating in 2002. According to the government, the review concluded that the court’s record has been “limited and uneven across different regions.”

The statement also criticised what it described as the concentration of the ICC’s activities in Africa. Chad said that of the 13 investigations opened by the court since it came into force, nine involve African countries, while four concern other regions “but without any concrete progress.”

“The court has only seven people in custody, six of whom are being prosecuted in African situations,” the statement added. The decision follows similar announcements by Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, which jointly declared in September that they were withdrawing from the ICC.

According to a statement published last week on the website of Chad’s foreign ministry, the decision to leave the court came after a request from the United States. The ministry said the US deputy secretary of state for African affairs urged Chad to reconsider its membership of the ICC during a telephone conversation on Thursday.

“The American side expressed its concerns about the functioning of this institution and called on Chad to review its accession to the Rome Statute,” the statement said. Chad’s announcement also comes amid allegations by national and international organisations linking the country to the ongoing conflict in neighbouring Sudan.

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, all governed by military administrations that came to power through coups between 2020 and 2023, previously described the ICC as “an instrument of neo-colonial repression in the hands of imperialism.”