Burundi has become the first country in history to officially withdraw from the Rome Statute on Friday, a year after the East African nation requested to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Burundi has elapsed the one-year withdrawal process from the Statute on Friday, October 27, 2017.
President Pierre Nkurunziza, who critics accuse of human rights abuses, has requested to leave the Court last year when the ICC sent experts in the country to conduct a preliminary investigation into politically motivated violence in Burundi in which several hundred people died. 430 people had reportedly been killed, 3,400 arrested and more than 230,000 had fled the country.
The violence in was triggered by Mr.Nkurunziza’s decision to seek a third term in office in apparent contravention of accords signed in 2005 that ended a 12-year civil war. The Arusha accord stipulates clearly that no president can govern the country for more than 10 years.
Some other African countries like Kenya are also considering withdrawing from the ICC.
The Hague-based court came under intense pressure from the AU last year over the cases against Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto; both were charged for their alleged role in the 2007 post-election violence. The cases were later dropped.
As a reminder, the ICC has opened investigations into situations in nine countries.