ICC sentences Timbuktu’s Islamist former police chief to 10 years for war crimes

NEWS WIRES

20 November 2024 at 10:17 am·1-min read

Al-Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud arrives for his trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands.

The International Criminal Court sentenced an al-Qaida-linked extremist leader to 10 years in prison on Wednesday for war crimes and crimes against humanity carried out when he headed the Islamic police in the historic desert city of Timbuktu in the West African country of Mali.

Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud, 47, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Wednesday by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Al Hassan was convicted of torture, religious persecution and other inhumane acts in June. Judges found he was a “key figure” in a reign of terror after Islamic extremist rebels overran Timbuktu in 2012.

“This regime and these acts had a traumatic impact on the population of Timbuktu,” presiding judge Kimberly Prost told The Hague-based court

Dressed head to toe in white traditional robes, Al Hassan was expressionless as he listened to the sentence being read out.

The 48-year-old was a member of Ansar Dine, an Islamic extremist group linked to al-Qaida that held power in northern Mali at the time, and served as the ancient city’s police chief. A French-led military operation in 2013 forced the group from power, but rebel elements have continued to stage attacks on Malian and international forces.

Both sides have appealed.

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