The United States has welcomed Chad’s decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), describing the move as a step towards reclaiming national sovereignty while urging other member states to also exit the global tribunal.
Gatekeepers News reports that Chad announced its intention to leave the ICC on Monday, becoming the fifth country in recent months to begin the withdrawal process after Venezuela, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
The Central African nation said it had formally notified the United Nations of its decision, which will take one year to take effect under the Rome Statute. Chad argued that the court has been ineffective and disproportionately targets African and other non-Western countries.
Chad said its decision followed a request from the United States, which has intensified its campaign against the ICC. In a statement, the US Bureau of African Affairs described the court as a “flawed institution” and called on all remaining ICC member states to withdraw from the Rome Statute.
Quoting Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s position, the US said it would never surrender its sovereignty to an unaccountable global tribunal and was pursuing a whole-of-government effort to counter what it described as the ICC’s “illegitimate overreach.” The United States is not a member of the ICC, alongside countries including Russia, China and Israel.
The ICC currently has 125 member states but has faced growing political pressure in recent months, including the departure of several countries and leadership challenges following the removal of former chief prosecutor Karim Khan.
Despite the withdrawals, the court has maintained that it remains committed to delivering justice for victims of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
