South Africa leaving ICC

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party has decided that South Africa should withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The decision was made in response to the recent issuance of an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin, which would require South Africa to detain him if he were to attend the upcoming BRICS summit. Ramaphosa cited the court’s perceived unfair treatment of certain countries as the main reason for the decision.

South While South Africa has refused to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Ramaphosa stated that the matter of arresting Putin is still under consideration. This is not the first time South Africa has attempted to withdraw from the ICC, as it previously tried to do so in 2016 after Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir visited the country. However, the decision was later revoked by a domestic court ruling that deemed it unconstitutional.