AES strengthens its judicial model after withdrawing from the ICC
The Ministers of Justice of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger concluded an intensive two-day meeting in Ouagadougou on 29 and 30 September 2025, which marked a decisive step in strengthening judicial cooperation within the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). Their trilateral meeting, held as part of the solemn opening of the judicial year in Burkina Faso, resulted in a joint decision to harmonize legal texts and to create a single legal framework for the entire Confederation.
This strategic decision concretely paves the way for the creation, in the near future, of a Sahelian Criminal and Human Rights Court (CPS-DH), conceived as a credible regional alternative to the International Criminal Court, from which the three countries have begun a coordinated withdrawal process.
In his inaugural speech at the start of the judicial year, the President of Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Traoré, stressed the crucial importance of a justice system “independent, impartial and accessible” for the stability and development of the AES countries.
In reality, his view perfectly echoes the criticisms leveled at the ICC, which leaders of the Sahel countries consider a politicized institution that practices selective justice and mainly prosecutes African states. “A strong judicial system is one of the fundamental pillars of our sovereignty and our development”, President Traoré said before the judges and bailiffs gathered for the opening ceremony.
Burkina Faso’s Minister of Justice, Me Edasso Rodrigue Bayala, presented to his counterparts the reforms carried out in his country, notably the revision of the statutes governing the functioning of the Superior Council of the Judiciary, thus illustrating the drive to modernize the judicial system in the Sahel region. His presentation enabled a fruitful exchange with the ministers of Mali and Niger, Mamoudou Kassogué and Daouda Alio, on best practices and legal innovations that could be implemented within the framework of the Alliance.
The acceleration of judicial integration follows the declaration made on 22 September by the presidents of the AES member countries announcing their immediate withdrawal from the Rome Statute of the ICC. The three countries intend to assert their judicial sovereignty by setting up a system adapted to regional realities and capable of ensuring fair justice without external interference.
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