Burkina Faso’s Ibrahim Traoré Calls ICC a “Tool of Imperialism” as Country Moves to Leave Court
October 1, 2026
“HOW MANY AFRICANS HAVE BEEN BROUGHT BEFORE THE ICC? AND HOW MANY WESTERNERS?”
Burkina Faso’s President Ibrahim Traoré didn’t hold back defending his country’s exit from the International Criminal Court, alongside fellow Sahel states Mali and Niger. His argument: the court that claims to prosecute the world’s worst crimes has, in practice, almost exclusively prosecuted Africans.
“If the ICC truly existed, the George Bushes, Tony Blairs, and others should be in prison, even the Obamas,” he said. “In Iraq, people were killed, weren’t they, over tales of weapons of mass destruction? In the end, how many hundreds of thousands of children died? What did that yield? Who went to prison?”
No one. That’s the answer, and it’s the whole argument in one word. A court built to end impunity that has never once touched the leaders of the most powerful nations on earth isn’t international justice, it’s selective justice, and Traoré is refusing to keep pretending otherwise.
The EU passed a resolution criticizing the decision. Burkina Faso’s answer was to cut diplomatic ties with France entirely.
Sovereignty isn’t up for negotiation.
Source: @btnewsroom
#Traoré #BurkinaFaso #ICC #Sovereignty #fyp
English Script:
Traoré: But what is the ICC? It is an organ of imperialism. If the ICC existed, the George Bushes, Tony Blairs, and others should be in prison. Even the Obamas, in Iraq people were killed, right? Over stories of weapons of mass destruction. How many hundreds of thousands of children died? In the end, zero [weapons]. What came of it? Who went to prison? Former CIA agents themselves came out saying that yes, it was all set up, but what happened? Even regarding the Gaddafi case here? Hillary’s emails came out saying they killed him because they wanted to create a currency and everything. Wasn’t it the Americans, the British, the French—they killed him, the Sarkozys, they’re right there. What did the ICC say? The effects are still there in the Sahel. We have deaths, thousands of deaths every time. What does the ICC say? The ICC does not exist. It is an instrument of imperialism. The ICC, in fact, is made only for Africans. Since it was created, how many Africans have been brought before the ICC, and how many of these Westerners have been brought before the ICC? We will not remain in an instrument of domination—and it’s not just the ICC, but any institution of domination or otherwise.
