In their effort to confront violence and injustice in their region, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, members of the Alliance of the States of the Sahel (AES), officially announced the establishment of a criminal court and human rights Court in the Sahel.
The regional institution will be based in Bamako, and will be responsible for judging the most serious crimes, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, acts of terrorism and serious human rights violations.
The decision is part of a common desire to unify the judicial systems of the three countries and to strengthen the fight against criminality in the region.
The operations will be supported by a high security prison centre prison, a shared legal database and a digital information exchange platform.
The creation of the Sahel Criminal and Human Rights Court, regional observers say, is a deliberate move away from the International Criminal Court (ICC). The decision is a result of growing concerns over perceived bias, particularly given the ICC’s record of bias against Africa, where only 10 cases have been prosecuted since 2002.
By establishing their own judicial mechanism, the Sahel states seek to reclaim sovereignty over legal proceedings as they respond to regional accountability needs. The new regional court targets war crimes, terrorism, and human rights abuses, addressing a surge in violence. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), there were 40 civilian deaths, including children, by Malian forces in 2022, amidst a 10-year Sahel conflict that has displaced over 2.5 million people, according to UNHCR data from 2024.
The initiative, supported by a shared judicial database and maximum-security prison, aligns with the AES’s broader move towards confederation, including a common passport and customs duty set for 2025, signalling a bold redefinition of regional security and economic integration.
