Chad withdraws from ICC after US pressure

Chad has joined a growing list of countries as it announced plans to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), reports Al Jazeera. The military government has declared that Chad has begun the process to leave the court, which prosecutes war crimes and other violations of humanitarian law and is based in The Hague in the Netherlands. The northern African nation is the fifth state in recent months to quit the international tribunal, as the US continues to increase pressure on the institution. Chad’s government said that the court’s effectiveness was ‘limited’ and uneven and condemned what it said was a concentration of its activities on African countries. Of the 13 investigations opened by the court since it came into force, nine concern African states, as opposed to four opened in other regions of the world, the government statement said. Chad’s decision follows neighbouring Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, which also have military governments. The Sahel states jointly announced their withdrawal in September, accusing the court of selective justice.

Washington’s longstanding antipathy has only grown since the ICC issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Defence Minister Yoav Gallant in 2024. The Trump administration now appears to have openly declared war on the institution. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week that the US would wage a campaign to ‘systematically disable’ the ICC’s ability to function. Chad was the second state to announce its withdrawal since that statement, notes Al Jazeera. Venezuela said on Friday that it was pulling out, also accusing the court of ‘bias’. Interim President Delcy Rodriguez essentially governs the country with the nod of the US. Chad’s Foreign Ministry shared a statement on its official website saying that the decision to quit follows a request by Washington. It said the US deputy secretary of state for African affairs had pressed the government to reconsider its membership during a phone call last Thursday.

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Full Al Jazeera report