Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have initiated a year-long process of withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC), the court said in a statement. The military-led West African countries announced in September their withdrawal from the ICC, denouncing it as “a tool of neocolonial repression”.All three are fighting Islamist insurgencies that have seized large areas of territory and stepped up attacks on military targets this year. Rights groups have accused militants as well as the armed forces of Burkina Faso and Mali of possible atrocities.The court is the world’s permanent war crimes tribunal, which prosecutes individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression when national courts are unwilling or unable to act.In a statement published on Wednesday, the presidency of the ICC’s governing body confirmed that Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger had submitted withdrawal letters and initiated the one-year process of withdrawing from the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC.The statement said the move risked weakening global efforts to end impunity and undermining the pursuit of justice. It urged the three countries to remain committed to the statute.The statement also said the decision to withdraw does not release a state from obligations incurred while it was still a party to the treaty.