Nigeria, Oct. 3 -- On 22 September, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), comprising Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, declared it was leaving the International Criminal Court (ICC). This comes seven months after their official withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and ECOWAS Court of Justice.

Speaking at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, Mali's Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maiga reaffirmed the AES's commitment to a multilateral system (which would include the ICC) - provided all countries were part of it. He spoke on behalf of the AES and his country. The prime ministers of Burkina Faso and Niger echoed these sentiments. None of them referred to the ICC in their speeches.

The joint communique on their ICC...