Chad has announced its intention to withdraw from the Rome Statute of the ICC
Chad’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it had notified the UN Secretary-General of the country’s intention to withdraw from the Rome Statute—the international treaty on which the International Criminal Court (ICC) is based. This was reported by Deutsche Welle English.
The ministry explained the decision by citing a review of the ICC’s work since its inception in 2002. The Chadian side believes that the court’s effectiveness is limited and uneven across different regions, and that its practices demonstrate “undeniable and glaring selectivity.”
Chad’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that nine of the 13 investigations opened by the ICC since its inception have concerned African states. Four other cases involved other regions of the world but, according to the ministry, have not made any concrete progress. The ministry also stated that of the seven individuals arrested in connection with the court’s investigations, only one was linked to a situation outside the African continent.
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The statement emphasized that Chad’s decision does not mean it is abandoning the need to ensure justice for the victims. Instead, the country’s government expressed its conviction that national judicial systems and African judicial mechanisms are capable of fulfilling this function. Chad also called on other members of the African Union to follow its example.
Last week, Chad’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that during talks between the Chadian minister and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Frank GarciaJr., the U.S. side expressed concern about the work of the ICC and urged Chad to review its obligations under the Rome Statute. The government in N’Djamena noted at the time that this request would be considered by the relevant authorities.
Chad became the fourth French-speaking African country whose government announced such a move in less than a year. In September, the military regimes of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger announced a coordinated withdrawal from the ICC. The ICC prosecutes individuals suspected of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
