Chad becomes fifth nation to quit ICC amid US pressure campaign

The statement issued by the Chadian government spokesperson on Monday reads that Chad has notified the UN Secretariat of "its sovereign decision to withdraw from the Rome Statute and the International Criminal Court (ICC)."

Chad's decision follows "an in-depth review of the functioning of the International Criminal Court since it began operating in 2002, as well as its record whose effectiveness remains limited and uneven", a government spokesman said in a statement.

It is also pointing to the Court's "judicial activity focused on the Global South in general and the African continent in particular, which have become the willing victims of the ICC's political instrumentalisation."

Out of the 13 investigations opened by the court since it came into force, nine concern African states, and only four in other regions of the world "but without any concrete progress", the Chadian government said.

"The court has only seven people in custody, six of whom are being prosecuted in African situations," it added.

The decision comes amid claims by national and international organisations of Chad's suspected involvement in the conflict in neighbouring Sudan.

Fifth state to leave

Chad announced its withdrawal on Monday after Venezuela, where the ICC had been conducting investigations into allegations of crimes against humanity by the previous government, said late on Friday that it had started the formal procedure to withdraw.

In early July the court confirmed that the three military-led African countries in the Sahel, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, formally started their withdrawal, which will take a year to go into effect.

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Like Chad, Venezuela's authorities accused the court of disproportionately focusing on non-Western states.

The African state's announcement also comes just days after 82 of the court's 125 member states voted to dismiss Karim Khan as prosecutor for serious misconduct.

That triggered an election process for a new prosecutor but details still have to be hammered out and a vote is not expected before the new year.

Karim Khan: Forensic ICC prosecutor with a tarnished legacy

After Khan's removal from office, the court said it will continue to carry out its mandate.

"The ICC remains firmly committed to advancing accountability and delivering justice for victims of crimes that deeply shock the conscience of humanity," it said.

While the ICC member states consider the procedure to find Khan's replacement, the office of the prosecutor will be run by the current deputy prosecutors, Nazhat Shameen Khan from Fiji and Senegal's Mame Mandiaye Niang.

US offensive 

According to the statement on Chad's foreign minister's official website last week, the decision to quit the ICC follows a request by the United States.

It said the US deputy secretary of state for African affairs had called on the Chadian government to reconsider its ICC membership during a telephone call on Thursday.

"The American side expressed its concerns about the functioning of this institution and called on Chad to review its accession to the Rome Statute," the statement said.

The United States launched a diplomatic campaign this year to undermine the court leading to a rise in the number of states withdrawing from the institution.

Court observers say it may be hard to find a good replacement for Khan amid this US's ramped-up diplomatic campaign.

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"Who is now going to want to nominate for a position that has such challenges, because they know they will automatically be sanctioned by the US," Melanie O'Brien, professor of international law at the University of Western Australia, told Reuters.

Washington wants the ICC to drop its arrest warrants against Israeli leaders over Gaza and to stop investigating alleged crimes involving US troops.

Officials told Reuters they were looking at pressuring countries to withdraw from the court.

The European Union and several of the court's big backers including the Netherlands and Japan, one of the court's biggest financial contributors, have voiced support for the court and concern over the US position but have not announced any practical steps to shore up the institution.

 (with newswires)