The International Criminal Court (ICC) has once more lost member states after Venezuela and, most recently, the African nation of Chad announced that they will renounce their support for the foreign judicial body in light of the previous call of the United States government to render the ICC globally irrelevant.
Fifth nation to leave ICC
The government of Chad was vocal in calling out the flaws that have surrounded the ICC that led to its “limited” and uneven approach in handling international cases, most especially against nations in Africa.
It said that, without releasing an official decision regarding the state of their membership in the ICC, Chad, ruled by a military government, reiterated that the move has already been launched in its legislative branch.
Chad’s statements came shortly after the same decision was unveiled by neighboring Sahel nations, namely Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
Moreover, the decision was in line with the previous announcement of the Venezuelan government that it, too, would exit the international judicial court due to its “political and geographic bias” against African and Latin American nations.
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Rift between ICC and the US
The US has been vocal about its mission in making the ICC a thing of the past after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Washington is seeking support from its long-time partners to denounce their ICC membership, such as the case of Chad and Venezuela.
The US has claimed that the ICC has been exercising international status in exerting its jurisdiction against the American Constitution, despite the US not being a member of the judicial body since its founding in 1998.
Moreover, the US has also warned that indirect consequences would hit its partners supporting the ICC, a move seemingly to isolate the judicial body.
ICC’s prosecutor facing separate issue
The ICC has faced criticism, especially amid the accusations against its former prosecutor, Imran Khan, involving allegations of sexual misconduct after the Assembly of States Parties ruled that he had committed “serious misconduct and serious breach of duty.”
Khan was responsible for spearheading sensitive cases, including the alleged human rights violations committed under the administration of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Khan’s downfall consequently led to harm to the ICC’s image at a time when the body has issued an arrest warrant against a slew of state leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for allegedly committing war crimes, and Russian President Vladimir Putin for his alleged unlawful deportation of children amid the war in Ukraine.
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Carmela Calling 
James Mario Ajero