Chad announced plans Monday to withdraw from the International Criminal Court, accusing the judicial body of ineffectiveness and bias against African countries.

The West African country submitted a letter to the United Nations to begin withdrawing from the court, which was established to prosecute people responsible for humanity’s worst crimes under its foundational treaty, the Rome Statute. The withdrawal process takes at least a year.

Chad was the fourth African country since 2025 to begin withdrawing from the ICC. Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso announced last year they would stop participating with the court based in The Hague.

The court is already facing daunting challenges, including the July 24 removal of its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, over sexual misconduct allegations.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier this month said the U.S. was launching a campaign to dismantle what he called the threat posed to its national sovereignty by the ICC. A February 2025 executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on the court over investigations of U.S. ally Israel.

The U.S. Bureau of African Affairs called on more of the 125 member states to withdraw from the Rome Statute in a post Monday on X.

“The United States welcomes Chad’s decision to withdraw from the ICC and join the growing number of nations reclaiming their sovereignty from this flawed institution,” the agency said.

Venezuela joins ICC exits

Venezuela has also announced plans to withdraw from the ICC, accusing the court of showing bias against countries in the Global South. Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia said the government had informed the United Nations of its “irrevocable” decision, arguing that the court’s work had disproportionately focused on African and Latin American nations.

The Venezuelan government’s move follows years of criticism of the ICC, including a 2021 investigation into alleged crimes against humanity during the government’s crackdown on anti-government protests in 2017. Caracas has accused the court of being used as a political tool, while critics have long questioned whether the ICC applies its standards equally across regions.

Venezuela’s exit announcement came shortly after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would pursue efforts to weaken the court, which the Trump administration has criticised over investigations involving the United States and Israel.