BUJUMBURA, Burundi – A Burundi official says the country will withdraw from the International Criminal Court, months after the court said it will investigate violence sparked by President Pierre Nkurunziza’s re-election.
Burundi’s first vice-president, Gaston Sindimwo, said Thursday that the government had presented a draft law in parliament to debate how the country can withdraw from its membership in the ICC.
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Sindimwo also accused the court of violating the rights of Africans.
African countries have threatened a withdrawal from the Rome Statute, the treaty which created the ICC, accusing the court of disproportionately targeting African countries in its investigations.
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Hundreds of people have died in Burundi since Nkurunziza last year pursued and won a third term that many oppose as unconstitutional.
The ICC in April said it will investigate the violence.
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