John AdoyiSenegal has condemned the latest United States sanctions targeting International Criminal Court (ICC) magistrates and called for their immediate withdrawal, describing the move as a direct attack on the independence of international justice.
On Wednesday, the US government sanctioned four ICC officials, two judges and two prosecutors, for their involvement in cases that touch on US and Israeli citizens. Among those blacklisted is a Senegalese Deputy Prosecutor, Mame Mandiaye Niang, along with Canadian Judge Kimberly Prost, French Judge Nicolas Guillou, and Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelSenegal’s Foreign Ministry said it learned “with surprise” of the measures and issued a strongly worded statement rejecting them.
“These sanctions constitute a serious violation of the principle of judicial independence,” the ministry said.
It expressed “full solidarity” with Niang and reaffirmed Senegal’s “unwavering support for the ICC in its mission to serve international criminal justice.”
The ministry also urged other ICC member states to “redouble their efforts to ensure that the judges and all staff of the Court can carry out their mission in complete independence, without threats or restrictions.”
Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko went further, posting on social media that the “government of Senegal will confront these unjust and unfounded measures by the United States of America.”
Why the sanctions?
The US State Department said the sanctions were punishment for “illegitimate ICC actions against Israel,” particularly the arrest warrants issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
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The sanctions freeze any assets the officials may hold in the US and bar them from financial dealings with US persons or institutions. They follow earlier measures this year against ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, who requested the warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, and against four other judges in June.
Washington has long opposed ICC efforts to investigate U.S. personnel in Afghanistan or Israeli officials over Palestine, arguing that the Court lacks jurisdiction since neither country is a member of the Rome Statute.
Global backlash
The move has sparked broad condemnation. The ICC called it a “flagrant attack on the independence of the Court,” while the United Nations voiced “serious concern” and the European Union reiterated its support for the Court’s autonomy. France denounced the sanctions as contrary to the principle of judicial independence.
Rights groups warn that the measures undermine accountability. “The proceedings before the ICC are progressing more slowly,” said Drissa Traoré, secretary-general of the International Federation for Human Rights, “but above all, the organisations and individuals that help investigations must now be very careful not to incur the wrath of the United States.”
He added that the controversy has shifted perceptions in Africa. “We no longer hear that the ICC is there only for Africans and those who do not have power. We realise today that the ICC is truly a court that is called upon to work across the entire Earth and to address all serious human rights violations.”
For Senegal, the stakes are both symbolic and political. The country was the first to ratify the Rome Statute establishing the ICC in 1999 and has long positioned itself as a defender of multilateral institutions. By standing behind officials, the country is reaffirming its commitment to the Court and warning against what it sees as the politicisation of international justice.
“The independence of justice cannot be subject to political calculations,” its foreign ministry said. “These sanctions must be withdrawn.”
