The government of Chad has announced its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), citing a perceived bias towards African countries.
According to official documents, N’Djamena justified this decision by highlighting an ‘unequivocal’} selectivity in the international court’s actions, which primarily targets the continent of Africa.
The Chadian government formally notified the United Nations Secretary-General on July 27, 2026, its intention to leave the ICC, as stipulated in Article 127 of the Rome Statute.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and African Integration explained that this decision was the result of an in-depth examination of the ICC’s functioning since its inception in 2002.
The government asserts that the ICC’s effectiveness has remained limited and variable in meeting expectations that led to its creation.
Chad also cites statistics from the ICC, which have been updated as of May 11, 2026, to support its stance. Out of 125 countries party to the Rome Statute, 33 are African nations.
The court has opened 13 investigations since its inception, with most concerning African countries.
According to the Chadian government, by this date, ‘9 out of 13 cases’ involve African states, while only four are from other regions without significant progress.
This data highlights a perception of an ‘instrumentalisation politique’ (political instrumentalization) of the ICC.
The Chadian government calls upon the African Union and its member states to strengthen their judicial mechanisms in order to foster ‘a more equitable, balanced, credible and effective continental justice’.
N’Djamena reaffirms its ‘irreversible commitment’ to fighting impunity among those responsible for serious crimes. It asserts that national jurisdictions and African judicial mechanisms now possess growing capacities to tackle this mission.
