Chad has announced plans to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), arguing that the global tribunal has failed to deliver justice fairly and has disproportionately focused on African countries.
The Chadian government made the announcement on Monday, saying the decision followed an extensive review of the ICC’s operations since it began work in 2002. According to officials, the court’s effectiveness has been “limited and uneven” across different regions of the world.
Government spokesman Gassim Chérif Mahamat said Chad was also concerned about what it described as the ICC’s heavy concentration on African cases.
Officials noted that of the 13 investigations opened by the court since its establishment, nine involve African countries, while only four concern other regions, where they claim little tangible progress has been made.
The government further argued that the ICC currently has only seven people in custody, six of whom are linked to African cases, reinforcing its concerns about the court’s focus.
Chad’s move follows similar decisions by Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, which jointly announced in September that they intended to leave the ICC. The three military-led Sahel nations accused the court of serving as an “instrument of neo-colonial repression in the hands of imperialism.”
According to a statement published last week on Chad’s foreign ministry website, the decision also came after discussions with the United States. The ministry said a senior US State Department official encouraged Chad to review its membership of the Rome Statute during a telephone conversation.
“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.
The announcement also comes as Chad faces allegations from national and international organisations over its suspected involvement in the conflict in neighbouring Sudan.
The ICC, established under the Rome Statute, prosecutes individuals accused of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression.
