BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Ruling military juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger say the three countries are withdrawing from the International Criminal Court, accusing the global tribunal of what they say is selective justice.
The pullout was not unexpected in the wake of the coups that brought the juntas to power in the three western African countries. The ICC, based in The Hague, is the world’s permanent global tribunal for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Since the coups, the three countries' military leaders abandoned longtime partners, including the West and the West Africa regional bloc. They have established new alliances, mainly with Russia, whose President Vladimir Putin faces an arrest warrant by the ICC over Russia’s war in Ukraine.
In a joint statement late on Monday announcing their withdrawal, the three said the ICC has become an “instrument of neocolonial repression in the hands of imperialism,” without elaborating on the allegation. The juntas also said they are seeking more “sovereignty” and hinted at a local option to the court.
The withdrawal process from the ICC takes at least a year to complete. Earlier this year, Hungary also announced its withdrawal from the court.
FILE - Exterior of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)
NUUK, Greenland (AP) — Thousands of Greenlanders marched through snow and ice in the capital, Nuuk, to protest U.S. President Donald Trump’s renewed threats to take control of the island, chanting “Greenland is not for sale” and waving national flags as they walked to the U.S. Consulate. The demonstration, the largest police say they have ever seen in Nuuk, drew people of all ages and emphasized support for Greenland’s self-governance, culture and future.
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
A woman pulls her children on a sled during a protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in front of the US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
A cafe worker applauds in support of a protest march against Trump's policy towards Greenland in Nuuk, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
An Inuit woman holds her child during a protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in front of the US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
A boy holds a crossed out map of Greenland topped by a hairpiece symbolizing U.S. President Donald Trump, during a protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in front of the US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
People protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in front of US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
A girl shouts during protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in front of US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
People protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in front of US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
A man holds a map of Greenland covered in the American flag crossed out with an X during a protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in front of the US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen speaks during a protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in front of the US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
A crowd walks to the US consulate to protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
A crowd walks to the US consulate to protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
An Inuit woman sings a national song during a protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in front of the US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
People protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in front of US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
An Inuit girl draped in a national flag attends a protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in front of the US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
People protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in front of the US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
People protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in front of US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
