The government of Chad announced Monday it will begin the process of withdrawing from the International Criminal Court, following a similar announcement by Venezuela. The Foreign Ministry said the decision followed an 'in-depth examination of the court's operations' and criticized its 'excessive focus on African countries.' The foreign minister emphasized the decision was not made under US pressure, despite reports to the contrary last week.
Chad's government announced Monday that it will begin the process of withdrawing from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, with the foreign minister stressing that the decision was not made under American pressure, despite reports last week that the US Deputy Secretary of State had requested the move. The announcement came just hours after Venezuela's formal withdrawal from the court.
As The Zioneer reported at 16:48 Jerusalem, the decision was based on 'an in-depth examination of the manner of operation of the court,' with the Foreign Ministry criticizing the ICC's 'excessive focus on African nations.' The foreign minister specifically denied that the US had encouraged the withdrawal, saying the decision was autonomous. The reports noted that nine of the court's 13 active investigations target African states. Chad joins Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger in leaving the court, part of a growing wave of African withdrawals.
The move comes amid a broader crisis of confidence in the ICC following the removal of chief prosecutor Karim Khan by the court's member states. As The Zioneer reported in its background on Chad, the country is a key strategic partner for Israel in the Sahel region, and the withdrawal underscores its pursuit of diplomatic independence. The Zioneer also reported on Sunday that Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodríguez ordered the country's withdrawal from the court, citing similar concerns over the ICC's impartiality.
6 developments
- StrongUS launches broad campaign to isolate ICC, targets judges with sanctions, visa bans
- StrongVenezuela's ICC Withdrawal Ordered by Interim President Delcy Rodríguez, Report Says
- StrongUS vows to end International Criminal Court's 'threat' to Americans
- DevelopingColombia's incoming president announces withdrawal from ICC case against Israel
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