Tchad exits international criminal court over perceived bias against africa

The government of Chad has formally announced its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), citing concerns over the court’s uneven application of justice. In an official statement released on July 27, 2026, authorities in N’Djamena condemned what they describe as the ICC’s “undeniable selectivity,” which they argue disproportionately targets African nations.

On the same day, Chad’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Integration, and Chadians Abroad notified the United Nations Secretary-General, as the depositary of the Rome Statute, of its sovereign decision to exit the ICC under Article 127 of the treaty. The ministry justified the move as the result of a “comprehensive review” of the court’s performance since its establishment in 2002, concluding that its impact has remained “limited and inconsistent” relative to its original mandate.

The decision is backed by recent ICC statistics, as of May 11, 2026, which show that out of 125 States Parties to the Rome Statute, 33 are African. Since its inception, the court has opened 13 investigations, with the majority focused on African countries. Officials note that at the time of the data update, “nine of the ongoing investigations pertain to African states, compared to only four in other regions—with minimal progress in those cases.” They further highlight that among the seven individuals currently detained by the ICC, “six are held in connection with African situations, while just one relates to a non-African case.”

Chadian leaders argue that these figures reinforce the widely held perception of a “sustained concentration of judicial activity on the Global South, particularly Africa,” and accuse the ICC of “political manipulation.”

In response, Chad is urging the African Union and its member states to bolster continental judicial systems, advocating for the development of a “fairer, more balanced, credible, and effective African justice mechanism,” one that upholds national sovereignty. The government reaffirms its “unwavering commitment” to combating impunity for the most serious crimes, asserting that African courts and legal frameworks now possess the capacity to fulfill this role independently.