Jihadist Police Chief Sentenced to 10 Years for War Crimes in Timbuktu

Sat Dec 20 2025 11:10:27 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The former Islamic police leader in Timbuktu faces a decade in prison for his role in atrocities committed during Mali's jihadist takeover.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has sentenced al-Hassan ag Abdoul Aziz ag Mohamed ag Mahmoud, the former head of Islamic police in Timbuktu, to ten years in prison for war crimes committed during the city's occupation by jihadists in 2012. Prosecutors described him as a key figure in a "reign of terror" involving torturous public punishments, including beheadings and floggings. Despite his conviction for heinous acts of violence, he was acquitted of charges related to sexual crimes and the destruction of Timbuktu's cultural heritage sites.

Al-Hassan was extradited to the ICC in 2018 after a French-led military intervention liberated the city five years prior. His sentencing reinforces the ongoing accountability efforts for war crimes in Mali, where various jihadist groups exploited regional conflicts. This includes Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi, who received a nine-year sentence in 2016 for his role in the destruction of ancient mausoleums at Timbuktu, a UNESCO World Heritage site renowned for its historical significance in Islamic education.

The ICC's ongoing trials emphasize the importance of justice and remembrance in preservation efforts, as Timbuktu navigates the dark legacies left by armed conflict.

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