By (AFP/File)

United Nations (United States) (AFP) - Burundi on Thursday formally notified the United Nations of its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, dealing a blow to the tribunal seen as a pillar of international justice. The move by the poor West African nation follows similar decisions this month by South Africa and Burundi to abandon the troubled institution, set up to try the world's worst crimes. Information Minister Sheriff Bojang said in an announcement on state television that the court had been used "for the persecution of Africans and especially their leaders" while ignoring crimes committed by the West. Burundi, South Africa and now Gambia have withdrawn from the International Criminal Court (ICC), creating fears of a mass African exodus from what Sheriff Bojang, Gambia’s information minister, recently called the “International Caucasian Court.”

Last night’s episode of The Stream on Al Jazeera explored the reasons behind South Africa’s exit and what this means for the prosecution of genocide, war crimes and human rights abuses globally. The Hague-based court, set up in 2002, is often accused of bias against Africa and has struggled with a lack of cooperation, including from the United States, which has signed the court's treaty but never ratified it. The Gambian information minister's critique of the ICC runs counter to comments in May by President Yahya Jammeh, who has ruled the poor West African country since taking power in a 1994 coup. Under the Rome Statute that created the International Criminal Court, signatory countries have a legal obligation to arrest anyone sought by the tribunal, but some African states have allowed people wanted by the ICC, notably Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, to visit, and some say leaders ought to be immune from prosecution. Kaba had said he was concerned that South Africa and Burundi's decisions would pave the way for other African states to leave the court, a possibility also raised by Kenya and Namibia.
Gambia says it will join South Africa and Burundi in withdrawing from the International Criminal Court, accusing the court of ignoring "Western war crimes" like the Kunduz hospital airstrike.