Chad has officially declared its intention to leave the International Criminal Court, with the West African nation accusing the global judicial body of being both ineffective and biased against African countries.
The country formally submitted a letter to the United Nations to begin the withdrawal process from the court, which was created to hold individuals accountable for the world’s most serious crimes under its founding agreement, known as the Rome Statute. Once the process is initiated, it takes a minimum of one year to complete.
Chad becomes the fourth African nation since 2025 to begin exiting the ICC. Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso all announced last year that they would cease cooperation with the court, which is headquartered in The Hague.
The ICC is already navigating serious internal turmoil, including the removal of its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, on July 24 following allegations of sexual misconduct.
Adding to the court’s difficulties, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced earlier this month that the United States is actively working to undermine what he described as the ICC’s threat to American national sovereignty. A February 2025 executive order signed by President Donald Trump placed sanctions on the court in response to its investigations into U.S. ally Israel.
On Monday, the U.S. Bureau of African Affairs posted on X, encouraging more of the court’s 125 member states to follow Chad’s lead and exit the Rome Statute.
“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,” the agency stated in its post.
