Chad intends to end its membership in the International Criminal Court, a government spokesman announced Monday, describing the tribunal’s performance as “limited and uneven” across the regions where it operates.
The spokesman tied the move to a lengthy assessment of how the court has functioned since taking up cases in 2002, pointing to what the government characterized as a disproportionate emphasis on the African continent. By Chad’s accounting, nine of the 13 investigations the court has launched target African nations, while the four opened elsewhere have shown, in the government’s words, “without any concrete progress.” The statement also noted that of the seven individuals the court currently holds, six face charges connected to African cases.
Diplomatic pressure appears to have played a role. A notice posted last week on the foreign minister’s official website said Washington had urged N’Djamena to rethink its standing with the court. During a Thursday phone call, according to that account, the US deputy secretary of state for African affairs raised objections about the institution and pressed Chad to revisit its acceptance of the Rome Statute. The statement relayed that “The American side expressed its concerns about the functioning of this institution and called on Chad to review its accession to the Rome Statute.”
Chad would join a small group of African governments stepping away from the tribunal. Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger declared in September that they were leaving together, casting the court as an “instrument of neo-colonial repression in the hands of imperialism.” All three are governed by military leaderships installed through coups staged between 2020 and 2023.
The announcement lands as Chad faces scrutiny from domestic and international groups over allegations that it has been drawn into the fighting in neighboring Sudan.
