Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso leave International Criminal Court

Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso are withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC) treaty. The three Sahel nations declared the ICC a tool of "neo-colonial repression" and accused it of "selective justice." The countries, part of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), stated the ICC has failed to prosecute proven war crimes and crimes against humanity, alleging it violates its own statutes by implicitly condoning perpetrators. All three nations are under military rule following recent coups and have become increasingly critical of Western institutions, previously withdrawing from ECOWAS, which they also deemed a Western instrument.