U.S. urges countries to quit ICC after Chad exit

The United States (U.S.) has welcomed Chad’s decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), urging all member states, including those in Africa, to leave the Hague-based court in what marks a renewed push against the global tribunal.

In a statement released by the Bureau of African Affairs on Monday, July 27, Washington hailed Chad’s exit as a move to reclaim national sovereignty, echoing Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s long-standing criticism of the ICC.

The U.S. maintained that it would never submit its sovereignty to what it described as an “unaccountable global tribunal”.

“The United States welcomes Chad’s decision to withdraw from the ICC and join the growing number of nations reclaiming their sovereignty from this flawed institution. We call on all other ICC members to withdraw from the Rome Statute,” the Bureau of African Affairs said.

Chad becomes the fourth African country in less than a year to announce its withdrawal from the Rome Statute, following Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

The four countries are currently led by military governments that came to power through coups and have increasingly distanced themselves from Western-backed international institutions.

In announcing the decision, Chad’s Foreign Ministry said it had formally notified the United Nations Secretary-General of its intention to withdraw following an in-depth review of the ICC’s performance since its establishment in 2002.

According to Chad, nine of the ICC’s 13 investigations have focused on African countries, while only four involved other regions, with little tangible progress.

Kenya is among the African countries that remain members of the ICC, having signed the Rome Statute on August 11, 1999, before ratifying it on March 15, 2005.

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The treaty entered into force for Kenya on June 1, 2005, making the country one of the early African supporters of the court.

Kenya’s most prominent encounter with the ICC stemmed from the 2007-2008 post-election violence that left more than 1,000 people dead and displaced hundreds of thousands.

The court opened investigations after a local tribunal failed to materialise, leading to cases against six prominent Kenyans, including President William Ruto, former President Uhuru Kenyatta, broadcaster Joshua arap Sang, former Head of Public Service Francis Muthaura, former Police Commissioner Hussein Ali and former Cabinet Minister Henry Kosgey.

However, all the Kenyan cases were eventually terminated or withdrawn after prosecutors cited insufficient evidence, witness interference and lack of cooperation.

Should Kenya choose to withdraw from the ICC, the move would not affect any investigations or cases that were already active before the withdrawal takes effect, as the Rome Statute requires a one-year notice period and preserves obligations relating to existing proceedings.

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