Timbuktu's jihadist police chief guilty of war crimes

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has convicted al-Hassan ag Abdoul Aziz ag Mohamed ag Mahmoud, former head of the Islamic police in Timbuktu, for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Prosecutors accused him of leading a "reign of terror" in Timbuktu after its 2012 takeover by the al-Qaeda-linked Ansar Dine group. He was acquitted of charges related to rape, sexual slavery, and forced marriages.

Judges confirmed his guilt in torturing and publicly flogging residents, forcing them to conform to Ansar Dine's interpretation of Sharia law.

Al-Hassan was handed over to the ICC in 2018, five years after Timbuktu's liberation by French troops.