Source: Africa Publicity
West African nation, Niger has reportedly submitted an official request to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The ICC, based in the Hague, reportedly told the AFP on Tuesday, June 23, 2026 that it received an “instrument of withdrawal” on June 18 from Niger.
Niger is currently led by junta leader Abdourahamane Tiani.
The formal request comes nine months after Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso announced their intentions to leave the ICC.
The three countries – led by military leaders – accused the court of becoming “a global example of selective justice”.
According to the three nations, they would establish “indigenous mechanisms for the consolidation of peace and justice”.
A country’s withdrawal from the court only takes effect one year after the official submission of the case to the UN general secretariat.
The ICC says Niger’s request will take effect on June 18, 2027, but noted that the country must honour its obligations to the court until that date.
According to the ICC, “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.”
Founded in 2002, the ICC’s mission is to prosecute the perpetrators of the most serious crimes, such as war crimes, when countries lack the will or capacity to do so themselves.
The ICC has 125 member states at the moment. The United States and Russia are not among them, nor are Israel, China, or Myanmar.
