Chad withdraws from the international criminal court amid criticisms of bias

The government of the Republic of Chad has officially declared its withdrawal from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). In an urgent statement released on 27 July 2026, N’Djamena condemned what it described as a “disturbingly selective justice system”, one that disproportionately targets African nations while neglecting other regions.

Following a deliberate evaluation of the ICC’s operations since its inception in 2002, Chad’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Integration and Chadians Abroad announced its sovereign decision to exit the treaty. The move aligns with Article 127 of the Rome Statute, which outlines the withdrawal process for member states.

The government cited recent ICC statistics—updated as of 11 May 2026—to support its stance. Of the 125 State Parties to the Rome Statute, 33 are African nations. Since its establishment, the Court has initiated 13 investigations, with the majority focused on African countries. Specifically, nine active cases involve African nations, while only four are underway in other regions, and with little progress reported.

Furthermore, six of the seven individuals currently detained by the ICC are facing charges related to African situations, with just one case linked to a non-African context. Chad’s leadership argues that these figures reveal a “systemic imbalance” in the Court’s judicial priorities, reinforcing perceptions of “politicized accountability.”

In response, N’Djamena has urged the African Union and its member states to bolster continental judicial mechanisms. The goal? To foster a more equitable, balanced, and credible justice system that fully respects national sovereignty while combating impunity for grave crimes.

The Chadian government, however, remains committed to fighting impunity. It asserts that African judicial systems now possess the capacity and resources to handle such cases independently, without relying on external institutions.