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Gambia third African nation to pull out of International Criminal Court

In the last two weeks, Burundi and South Africa have also pulled out of the court amid accusations of bias against African nations.

By Stephen Feller
Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, pictured at center while arriving for a state dinner at the White House in 2014, decided to pull his country out of the International Criminal Court amid accusations it is biased against African nations and does not hold white, Western nations to the same standards. File photo by Mike Theiler/UPI
Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, pictured at center while arriving for a state dinner at the White House in 2014, decided to pull his country out of the International Criminal Court amid accusations it is biased against African nations and does not hold white, Western nations to the same standards. File photo by Mike Theiler/UPI | License Photo

WASHINGTON, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- Gambia on Tuesday became the third African nation to announce it is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court, and experts already are predicting the next three to follow suit.

The Gambian government announced on state-run television it plans to pull out of the court based on the same anti-Africa bias expressed by Burundi and South Africa with their announcements to leave the ICC.

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Officials in the country say the ICC has pursued African nations for so-called crimes against humanity but ignores the actions of Western nations -- calling it the International Caucasian Court and alleging it aims "for the persecution and humiliation of people of color, especially Africans."

Nine of the ICC's 10 current investigations involve African countries, as have many of the cases it has made since its inception in 2002.

"There are many Western countries, at least 30, that have committed heinous war crimes against independent sovereign states and their citizens since the creation of the ICC and not a single Western war criminal has been indicted," Gambian Information Minister Sheriff Bojang said on the state television broadcast.

Last Tuesday, South Africa announced it would pull out of the ICC, about a week after Burundi announced the same intention.

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Kenya, Namibia and Uganda may be among the next nations to explore leaving the court, some experts say.

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