PARIS (Dispatches) - The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is pressuring African countries to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), threatening consequences as Washington intensifies its campaign against the tribunal, a report says.
A report published by Le Monde on Tuesday revealed that the U.S. is using two methods to pressure African countries into leaving the ICC, including “disinformation” by suggesting targeted governments could themselves face prosecution.
The second method involves threatening countries with the cancellation of US security agreements and other forms of cooperation if they refuse to withdraw from the court, the report said, citing sources.
Uganda received a U.S. letter on July 24, 2026, giving it an ultimatum to leave the ICC or face “consequences,” though Kampala has so far refused to comply with the demand, according to the report.
Washington also approached Benin as part of the pressure campaign, though authorities showed determination to resist the demand to withdraw from the ICC, it added.
Beninese ICC Judge Reine Alapini-Gansou was among three judges who filed a lawsuit in New York in June challenging U.S. sanctions imposed on court officials.
Le Monde reported that the U.S. campaign against the ICC has intensified since the court issued arrest warrants on November 21, 2024, for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former minister of military affairs, Yoav Gallant, over war crimes and crimes against humanity during Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
Trump acknowledged on Friday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s campaign against the ICC was intended to protect Netanyahu, admitting Rubio was “trying to defend Bibi and various other people” during a cabinet meeting.
Rubio told the same meeting that Washington had “begun an effort to really try to bring them to heel” over what he called threats to so-called U.S. sovereignty.
“We will dismantle the ICC, brick by brick, if necessary,” Rubio said last month, as Washington imposed sanctions on ICC officials involved in investigations concerning Americans and Israelis.
The sanctions targeted former ICC prosecutor Karim Khan and several judges, while ICC officials argued that the measures represented an attempt to exert “extra-judicial pressure” and undermine the court’s independence.
The pressure campaign has also extended to other international legal efforts targeting Israel, with the report noting that heavy U.S.-Israeli diplomatic pressure contributed to Colombia withdrawing from South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Nicaragua had previously withdrawn from the ICJ case in April 2024, while Washington and Tel Aviv have continued opposing international legal proceedings involving Israel’s genocidal actions in Gaza.
The ICC was established in 2002 under the Statute of Rome to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.
Washington has long rejected the ICC’s authority, with the “American Servicemembers’ Protection Act” of 2002, also known as the “Hague Invasion Act,” authorizing the U.S. president to use “all means necessary and appropriate” to free U.S. or allied personnel detained by the tribunal.
The report described the pressure campaign against African states as part of Trump’s broader effort to dismantle the ICC and challenge the international rules-based order, which has governed global legal and diplomatic frameworks since the end of WWII.