Niger has formally submitted its request to withdraw from the International Criminal Court, nine months after announcing plans to leave the Hague-based body.
The ICC said it received Niger’s “instrument of withdrawal” on June 18. Under the court’s rules, the withdrawal will take effect one year after formal notification.
Until then, Niger remains bound by its obligations to the court.
The move follows a joint announcement in September 2025 by Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, all ruled by military governments, declaring that they no longer recognised the ICC’s authority.
The three Sahel states accused the court of being an “instrument of neo-colonialist repression” and said they intended to establish local mechanisms to support peace and justice.
The ICC, based in the Netherlands, was established in 2002 to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression.
Its latest statement did not mention Mali or Burkina Faso.
The withdrawal comes as Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso continue to distance themselves from Western-backed institutions. Last year, the three countries withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States and formed the Confederation of Sahel States.
All three countries are former French colonies and have been led by military juntas following coups earlier this decade.
Their armies have faced allegations of abuses against civilians amid escalating conflict with armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State across the Sahel.
In recent years, the three states have become increasingly isolated from the West while strengthening ties with Russia.
Russia is not a member of the ICC. The court has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
The US, Israel and China are also not members of the ICC.
If completed, Niger will become the third country to leave the court after Burundi and the Philippines.
