South Africca to leave ICC

On Tuesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the ruling African National Congress (ANC) of South Africa has called for the country to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has been criticized for being too close to Moscow since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. The Hague-based ICC issued an arrest warrant in March for Russian President Vladimir Putin for the war crime of "deporting" Ukrainian children. As a member of the ICC, South Africa theoretically has the obligation to arrest Putin if he enters its territory, which is under consideration. The ANC's decision to withdraw from the ICC was primarily due to the perceived unfair treatment of some countries by the court, according to Ramaphosa, who also cited the issue of unfair treatment requiring proper discussion. South Africa had attempted to withdraw from the ICC in 2016, but the move was deemed unconstitutional by the country's judiciary. South Africa's relationship with Russia dates back to the apartheid era, with the Kremlin supporting the ANC in its fight against the racist regime.