Three Western Africa countries to give up the UN High Court

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have announced that they will immediately withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), marking it “an instrument of neo -colonalist repression”.

The three military -led countries have issued a joint statement, saying they will not recognize the authority of the Supreme Court of the United Nations, based in The Hague.

“ICC has proven that he is unable to cope and pursue proven war crimes, crimes against humanity, crimes of genocide and crimes of aggression,” the three leaders said.

The court has not yet responded to the decision of the three countries, all of which are closely related to Russia, whose leader Vladimir Putin was the subject of order of arrest of the ICC.

The three countries said they wanted to create “indigenous mechanisms for consolidation of peace and justice.”

They accused the ICC of targeting less privileged countries, repeating criticism by Rwanda President Paul Kagame, who had previously accused the ICC of holding an anti-African bias.

ICC was established in 2002 for the legitimate pursuit of genocide cases, crimes against humanity, war crimes and aggression.

Out of 33 cases started by its creationAll but one included an African country.

The withdrawal of an ICC country has officially entered into force one year after the UN notification.

The junta military controls Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, following the coups in the Sahel countries between 2020 and 2023. They make up the only three members of the Sahel State Confederation.

Their armies are faced with civilian crimes, as violence escalates in the region against jihadist groups related to al -Qaeda and the Islamic State.

In another coordinated move earlier this year, all three countries have simulatively withdrawn from the regional block, Western African States Economic Community (Ecowas).

They had rejected Ecowas’ demands to restore democratic government.

Russia has strengthened its ties with the three Sahel countries in recent years, which all become more and more insulated than the West, more specially former regional colonial power France.

In 2023 ICC issued arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the alleged war crimes in Ukraine.