The ruling ANC in South Africa has called on the nation, criticized since the start of the war in Ukraine because of its proximity to Moscow, to leave the International Criminal Court (ICC), President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Tuesday. The Hague-based ICC in March issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes “deporting” Ukrainian children. Pretoria will host the summit of the BRICS – a group of countries that includes South Africa, Brazil, China, India and Russia.
The Hague-based ICC in March issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes “deporting” Ukrainian children. Pretoria will host the summit of the BRICS – a group of countries that includes South Africa, Brazil, China, India and Russia – in August. As a member of the ICC, the country should theoretically be a member of the ICC. This country is obligated to arrest the Russian president if he enters its territory.
“The ruling party has decided that South Africa should be cautious in withdrawing from the ICC,” Ramaphosa told a news conference following a visit by Finnish President Sauli Niinistö. The African National Congress (ANC) met this weekend. The head of state added that the question of whether South Africa would arrest Putin was “under investigation”.
“Putin can come to this country at any time,” ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula told a news conference. “The ICC does not serve the interests of all, but only the interests of a few,” he added. Ramaphosa said the ANC’s decision to withdraw from the ICC was made “in large part” because the Court found unfair treatment of certain countries.
“We want this issue of unfair treatment to be properly debated, but in the meantime, the ruling party has once again decided that we should resign,” Ramaphosa said. South Africa previously sought to withdraw from the ICC in 2016 following a visit by former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. Pretoria has refused to arrest the latter, who is also the subject of a court arrest warrant. But Pretoria’s withdrawal was thwarted by the country’s judiciary, which ruled that such a decision would be unconstitutional.
An African diplomatic power, South Africa has refused to condemn Moscow since the start of the war in Ukraine, claiming to remain neutral so it can “play a role in resolving the conflict”, Cyril said. Ramaphosa explained, pointing out that he has met Mr. Putin several times. It also held naval exercises with Russia and China offshore in February, causing “concern” around the world. South Africa’s relationship with Russia dates back to the apartheid era, with the Kremlin supporting the ANC in its fight against the apartheid regime.
