Military-run Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger pull out of key international court

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Ruling military juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger say the three countries are withdrawing from the International Criminal Court, accusing the global tribunal of what they say is selective justice.

The pullout was not unexpected in the wake of the coups that brought the juntas to power in the three western African countries. The ICC, based in The Hague, is the world’s permanent global tribunal for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

Since the coups, the three countries’ military leaders abandoned longtime partners, including the West and the West Africa regional bloc. They have established new alliances, mainly with Russia, whose President Vladimir Putin faces an arrest warrant by the ICC over Russia’s war in Ukraine.

In a joint statement late on Monday announcing their withdrawal, the three said the ICC has become an “instrument of neocolonial repression in the hands of imperialism,” without elaborating on the allegation. The juntas also said they are seeking more “sovereignty” and hinted at a local option to the court.

The withdrawal process from the ICC takes at least a year to complete. Earlier this year, Hungary also announced its withdrawal from the court.