The International Criminal Court has convicted an al-Qaida-linked Islamic extremist leader of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Timbuktu, Mali.
In 2012, Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud was found guilty of playing a crucial role in the insurgents’ reign of terror in Timbuktu’s historic desert city.
He was accused of participating in crimes such as rape, torture, persecution, enforced marriages, and sexual slavery.
Prosecutors have identified him as a pivotal member of Ansar Dine, an Islamic extremist group affiliated with al-Qaida that held authority in northern Mali during that period.
Upon sentencing at a later date, Al Hassan faces the possibility of life imprisonment.
He has been identified by prosecutors as a pivotal member of Ansar Dine, an Islamic extremist group affiliated with al-Qaida that held sway in northern Mali during that period.
“At the outset of Al Hassan’s trial nearly four years ago, the court’s then-chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda highlighted the severe suffering endured by women and girls under Ansar Dine’s repressive regime,” said Bensouda.
“They faced corporal punishment, imprisonment, forced marriages, and confinement, often subjected to repeated rape by members of the armed group.”
Bensouda also informed the judges that Al Hassan was directly involved in organizing these forced marriages.
“One rape victim described her experience by saying, ‘All that was left of me was a corpse,” cited prosecutor Fatou Bensouda during the trial.
At the trial, defense lawyer Melinda Taylor argued that Al Hassan, serving as a member of the Islamic police force, was bound to uphold and enforce decisions issued by the Islamic tribunal.
“This responsibility mirrors the duties of law enforcement officers worldwide,” Taylor emphasized.
Meanwhile, in Timbuktu, victims of crimes committed by Ansar Dine awaited the verdict and potential compensation.
“We are waiting and hoping for a judgment that will deliver justice,” stated Yehia Hamma Cissé, president of a coalition of victims’ associations in the Timbuktu region.
“We have members in our associations who have endured rape, amputations, and whippings, and we seek compensation,” he said.
In 2016, the court issued a reparations order after convicting Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi, a member of Ansar Dine, who was sentenced to nine years in prison for attacking nine mausoleums and a mosque door in Timbuktu in 2012.
In 2013, a military operation led by France ousted Al Hassan and his associates from power.
For over a decade, Mali, along with neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, has faced an insurgency led by armed factions, including those affiliated with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.
In the aftermath of recent military coups in all three countries, the ruling juntas have expelled French forces and sought security support from Russia’s mercenary units instead.
Following a second coup in 2021, Colonel Assimi Goita assumed leadership in Mali with an initial commitment to restore democracy by early 2024.
However, in September of that year, the junta indefinitely postponed the scheduled February 2024 elections, citing the necessity for additional technical preparations.
The delivery of verdicts in Al Hassan’s case faced a delay of approximately six months due to the illness of one of the trial judges.
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