Mali: ICC Convicts Al-Qaida Leader For War Crimes

The International Criminal Court on Wednesday convicted an al-Qaida-linked extremist for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Mali from 2012-2013.

Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud, 47, was accused of torturing prisoners as a leading figure withing Ansar Dine, an extremist group associated with al-Qaida that controlled northern Mali at the time.

The three-judge panel in The Hague acquitted him of charges related to the abuse of women, though they acknowledged that rape and sexual slavery occurred under his group’s control in Timbuktu.

Presiding Judge Antoine Kesia-Mbe Mindua stated that Al Hassan played a pivotal role overseeing punishments such as amputations and floggings during the militants’ nearly year-long rule of Timbuktu from early 2012.

“The inhabitants had no other choice than to adapt their lives and lifestyle to the version of Sharia law imposed on them by Ansar Dine,” Mindua said.

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Evidence presented in court detailed how prisoners suffered abuse, including being held in cramped, unsanitary cells and subjected to repeated floggings. Mindua described brutal public floggings in Timbuktu’s central square, witnessed by crowds that included children, and a public amputation conducted with a machete.

Al Hassan was convicted of “contributing to the crimes perpetrated by other members” of jihadist groups, including mutilation and persecution. However, he was acquitted of charges related to rape, sexual slavery, forced marriage, and attacking protected objects.

Victims represented by Yehia Hamma Cissé expressed hopes for justice and compensation following the court’s reparation order, akin to the order issued after the 2016 conviction of another Ansar Dine member, Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi.

The ICC’s verdict against Al Hassan comes amid increased scrutiny of jihadist leaders in Mali, including an arrest warrant recently unsealed for Iyad Ag Ghaly, alias Abou Fadl, leader of the al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM).

Ag Ghaly faces charges of murder, rape, sexual slavery, and attacks on religious monuments in Timbuktu during the same period, underscoring efforts to hold perpetrators accountable during regional instability exacerbated by armed insurgencies and military coups.

Al Hassan, who potentially faces life in prison, is awaiting sentencing.