Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Niger has officially submitted its request to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Hague‑based tribunal confirmed on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, nine months after the junta‑led nation first announced its intention alongside allies Mali and Burkina Faso. The formal notification, which the ICC said it received on June 18, will take effect on June 18, 2027, one year after the date of receipt, in accordance with Article 127 of the Rome Statute.
In its notification to the United Nations, the military junta led by General Abdourahamane Tiani accused the court of having been "subjected to abuse and manipulation" and of practising "selective justice". The letter stated that while the ICC had once raised "great hopes among peoples who care about peace and justice," it had since been "misused and exploited". The decision follows a joint announcement made by Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso in September 2025, in which the three Sahelian nations, all ruled by military governments that seized power in coups between 2020 and 2023, denounced the ICC as an "instrument of neo‑colonial repression in the hands of imperialism".
The ICC, in a statement responding to Niger's withdrawal, expressed regret while acknowledging the sovereign right of states to depart from international treaties. "While joining or withdrawing from a treaty remains a sovereign right of States under international law, we regret any decision to depart from the collective effort to end impunity for the most serious international crimes," the court said. The ICC noted that Niger must continue to honour its obligations to the court until the withdrawal takes effect. Crimes committed before the official exit date, which may include war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, will remain subject to the court's jurisdiction, as stipulated by the Rome Statute.
With this formal notification, Niger is set to become the third country to withdraw from the ICC, following Burundi, which left in 2017, and the Philippines, which departed in 2019 under President Rodrigo Duterte. Hungary had also initiated withdrawal proceedings in 2025 but reversed its decision after Viktor Orbán was ousted in April 2026 elections. The ICC currently has 125 member states.
The three Sahelian countries face escalating violence from jihadist groups linked to Al‑Qaeda and the Islamic State, while their armies have also been accused of committing crimes against civilians. Niger's departure comes just weeks after more than 30 people were killed when gunmen attacked the main airport in Niamey, a strategic hub that hosts the ruling military's command and its air force base.
Mali and Burkina Faso, which jointly announced their intention to withdraw alongside Niger in September 2025, have not yet formally submitted their requests to the United Nations, according to reports. However, the three nations, which form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), have continued to distance themselves from Western institutions and have forged new alliances, including with Russia, whose President Vladimir Putin faces an ICC arrest warrant over the war in Ukraine.
As Niger navigates the one‑year transition period, its withdrawal represents a significant setback for the ICC's efforts to prosecute perpetrators of serious international crimes in Africa's Sahel region, where armed violence has displaced millions and claimed thousands of lives over the past decade. The court's statement made no mention of Mali or Burkina Faso, leaving the status of their withdrawal processes unclear.
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