Chad said it had begun withdrawing from the Rome Statute after two decades in the International Criminal Court, following similar moves by Venezuela and three Sahel governments. Chad's government announced Monday that it would withdraw from the International Criminal Court and the Rome Statute, accusing the institution of limited, uneven effectiveness and disproportionate attention to African states.
The announcement followed withdrawal moves by Venezuela, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger during July, adding Chad to a broader contraction in the court's membership. Chadian officials said the decision followed a review of the court's record since operations began in 2002 and cited the number of investigations and detainees connected to African situations.
The United States, which is not an ICC member, had urged Chad to reconsider its membership during a diplomatic contact, but Chad's foreign minister said Washington did not make the decision for N'Djamena. The ICC prosecutes individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes when national systems are unwilling or unable to act, but it depends on member states to arrest suspects.
Formal withdrawal takes effect through the treaty process and does not automatically erase jurisdiction over conduct committed while a state was a member.
The court has 125 member states, while major powers including the United States, Russia, China and Israel do not recognize its general jurisdiction over their nationals. Chad borders Sudan and has faced allegations from Sudanese authorities and nongovernmental organizations concerning weapons flows in the war between Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces.
The court's prosecutor was removed from office days before Chad's announcement after sexual-misconduct allegations, creating a separate leadership transition inside the institution. As of the edition cutoff, Chad had not completed every treaty step, and the effect on specific current or future investigations had not been adjudicated. The next scheduled factual records include deposit of the formal withdrawal notice and its effective date and responses from the ICC and other African member states.