Chad to join raft of withdrawals from International Criminal Court

Chad's military government declared on Monday that it had initiated the process to withdraw from the International Criminal Court, the Hague-based institution responsible for prosecuting war crimes and humanitarian law violations. The decision makes Chad the fifth nation in recent months to announce its departure from the tribunal.

Chad's government statement criticized the court's effectiveness as limited and uneven, pointing to what it characterized as disproportionate focus on African nations. Of the 13 investigations the court has opened since its establishment, nine target African states while only four concern other regions, the government noted, describing the latter as lacking concrete progress.

The withdrawal follows announcements by neighboring Sahel states Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, all governed by military administrations, which jointly announced their departures in September citing selective justice. Chad's Foreign Ministry disclosed that the decision followed a request from Washington, with the US deputy secretary of state for African affairs pressing the government to reconsider its Rome Statute membership during a Thursday phone call.

The withdrawals occur amid escalating US pressure on the institution, particularly following the ICC's 2024 arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently stated the US would campaign to "systematically disable" the ICC's operational capacity. Venezuela announced its withdrawal on Friday, also citing bias allegations. The timing coincides with the recent dismissal of former ICC prosecutor Karim Khan over misconduct allegations, with his defence team characterizing the removal as politically motivated.