International Criminal Court faces crisis as support statements fall short

Under mounting pressure from multiple fronts, the International Criminal Court (ICC) faces a deepening test of its authority: the US has threatened to dismantle the court, while Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have formally submitted notices to withdraw from its statute. The strain is compounded by an embattled ICC prosecutor, prolonged delays, and cases that have collapsed amid non-cooperation and targeted campaigns to obstruct the court’s work, writes Ottilia Anna Maunganidze, head of Special Projects at the Institute for Security Studies.