Chad says it will leave ICC, accusing court of unfair focus on Africa

Chad said on Monday that it would withdraw from the International Criminal Court, accusing the tribunal of having a limited and uneven record and focusing too heavily on Africa.

The Chadian government said the decision followed an in-depth review of the ICC’s work since it began operating in 2002. It said nine of the court’s 13 investigations concerned African states and that the court had seven people in custody, six of them being prosecuted in cases involving African countries.

Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Sabre Fadoul said in a video posted on Facebook that Chad no longer felt aligned with the court as it operates. He said African countries still in the ICC should reflect on what was happening at the tribunal and said they should not accept being victims of what he called a two-tier system.

The ICC, based in The Hague, prosecutes individuals accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity when national authorities are unwilling or unable to do so. The source says the court has 125 member states but has struggled because it lacks its own enforcement powers and several countries, including China, Israel, Russia and the United States, do not recognise its jurisdiction.

Chad follows Venezuela and the military-led governments of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger in starting the process of leaving the court this month. Burundi and the Philippines have already withdrawn.

The move also follows a US campaign against the ICC. A statement posted last week on the Chadian foreign minister’s official Facebook page said a US official had urged Chad to review its membership of the Rome Statute during a phone call with Fadoul. Fadoul told AFP on Friday that Chad had not decided to withdraw at the request of the United States.

Chad’s decision comes amid allegations by the Sudanese army and non-governmental organisations that Chad has helped weapons shipments from the United Arab Emirates reach the Rapid Support Forces paramilitaries in Sudan’s war. Chad’s alleged role has not been established in the source.

French lawyer Vincent Brengarth, who represents NGOs alleging war crimes in Sudan, said Chad’s withdrawal weakened the prospects of holding those responsible to account and undermined the international criminal justice system.

ICC member states voted on Friday to dismiss prosecutor Karim Khan after disputed allegations that he sexually assaulted a female staff member. Khan denies the accusations. His lawyer has said he will challenge the lawfulness and fairness of the decision.

Khan has been targeted by US sanctions since he successfully sought arrest warrants in 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant over allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the war against Hamas in Gaza.