**Title: US Pressures African Nations to Withdraw from International Criminal Court**
The United States has been actively pressuring several African nations to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), according to a report by Le Monde. This campaign, initiated by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, includes threats of consequences for governments that refuse to comply.
Rubio formally launched the initiative last month, asserting that the US would dismantle the ICC “brick by brick, if necessary.” He emphasized that countries benefiting from US military, law enforcement, or security cooperation should reject the court's authority over American officials and military personnel.
The US is not a member of the ICC and has intensified its campaign following the court's issuance of arrest warrants in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. These warrants were related to alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. In response, the US has imposed sanctions on several ICC officials.
Reports indicate that Uganda received a letter from Washington on July 24, which included an ultimatum to withdraw from the ICC or face unspecified consequences. An unnamed Ugandan source confirmed that Kampala has so far resisted this demand.
Benin has also been approached through various means, including calls, visits, and letters, as reported by an African Union source. However, the West African nation has not yet announced any plans to withdraw from the court.
Chad's situation has been more publicly documented. On July 23, US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Frank W. Garcia Jr. contacted Chadian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Sabre Fadoul to express US concerns regarding the ICC and to urge Chad to reconsider its membership in the Rome Statute. Following this conversation, Chad formally notified the United Nations of its withdrawal just four days later. The US Bureau of African Affairs welcomed this decision, praising Chad for reclaiming its sovereignty from what they described as a flawed institution.
Fadoul has denied that Chad's withdrawal was made at Washington's request, stating that the decision stemmed from the country's own concerns about the ICC's perceived double standards and its disproportionate focus on African cases. Notably, six of the seven defendants currently in ICC custody are being prosecuted for crimes committed in Africa.
Chad's withdrawal follows similar actions by Venezuela and other African nations, including Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, which have collectively denounced the ICC as an “instrument of neocolonial repression.” These withdrawals take effect one year after formal notification but do not absolve the ICC of jurisdiction over crimes committed while these countries were members.
The ICC was established under the Rome Statute in 1998 and has been operational since 2002. It serves as a court of last resort for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, currently comprising 125 member states. Notable non-member states include Russia, China, Israel, and India.
The US's efforts to influence African states regarding their ICC membership reflect a broader geopolitical strategy, particularly in light of the court's recent actions against Israeli officials. As these developments unfold, the implications for international law and justice, as well as for US-Africa relations, remain to be seen.