Gambia has announced its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court after accusing the tribunal of “persecution and humiliation of people of colour, especially Africans”.
Gambia is the third African to leave the International criminal court after South Africa and Burundi withdrew earlier this month over similar allegations of targeting African nations.
One of the biggest criticisms which has dogged the ICC has been its perceived bias against African countries and their leaders. Sheriff Bojang, Gambia’s information minister, said on state television;
“There are many Western countries, at least 30, that have committed heinous war crimes against independent sovereign states and their citizens since the creation of the ICC and not a single Western war criminal has been indicted,” Bojang said.
The withdrawal, he said, “is warranted by the fact that the ICC, despite being called International Criminal Court, is in fact an International Caucasian Court for the persecution and humiliation of people of colour, especially Africans”.
There are reports that Namibia and Kenya will be the next countries to leave the ICC.
