Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, three nations in West Africa run by military governments after coups in recent years, have announced their exit from the International Criminal Court (ICC), referring to it as “neocolonial repression” and accusing the judicial body of selective justice.

In a joint statement on Monday night, the three countries said the ICC had become incapable of prosecuting war crimes, crimes against humanity, crimes of aggression and genocide without elaborating.

“[The ICC is an] instrument of neocolonial repression in the hands of imperialism,” the joint statement read, adding that the countries were seeking more “sovereignty”.

The three states added that they wanted to create “indigenous mechanisms for the consolidation of peace and justice”.

The three countries, which

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