Mahamat Said Abdel Kani

Mahamat Said Abdel Kani (born 25 February 1970) is a former general of FPRC and commander of Séléka who was arrested in 2021 as a suspect of war crimes and crimes against humanity. He is the first Séléka commander to face charges at the International Criminal Court (ICC).[1]

Mahamat Said Abdel Kani
Born (1970-02-25) 25 February 1970
Bria, Central African Republic
Military career
AllegianceSéléka
Years of service2012–2013
Military career
AllegianceFPRC
Years of service2014–2021

Biography

Early life

Born into a family of diamond collector on 25 February 1970 in Bria,[2] Said joined the Convention of Patriots for Justice and Peace (CPJP) rebel group in 2008 to avenge his nephew's death. He participated in rebel attack 20 kilometer from Bria in 2008.[3][4][5]

Séléka

He participated in Battle of Bangui. After the victory of Séléka in March 2013, the minister of public security, Noureddine Adam, appointed Said as the director of the Central African Bureau for the Repression of Organised Crime (OCRB) on 12 April 2013.[3][4]

As the director of OCRB, he was responsible for torture, imprisonment, persecution, and enforced disappearances. He resigned as the director of OCRB in January 2014.[5][3]

Post-Séléka

Aftermath the dissolution of Séléka, he joined FPRC. As a member of FPRC, he was a diamond dealer who heavily contributed to the FPRC budget. He also owned several diamond mines in Bria and Nzacko regions.[3][6]

In mid-December 2020, he joined the anti-government rebel coalition, CPC. As a member of CPC, he was one of the orchestrators of CPC attacks in Nzacko and Bakouma.[3]

Arrest and trial

On 7 January 2019 the ICC issued an arrest warrant for him for war crimes and crimes against humanity. He was arrested by MINUSCA on 20 January 2021 in Bria. He was brought to Camp de Roux, Bangui and transferred to the ICC headquarters in Den Haag on 24 January 2021.[3][5]

His trial began on 26 September 2022 and he pleaded not guilty.[7]

Personal life

He can speak Sango, French, and Arabic.[4] His brother, Kousko Abdel Kani, was a former FPRC general and was arrested in November 2021 by Wagner Group in Bria.[8]

References
  1. HRW, HRW. "Central African Republic: First Seleka Suspect in ICC Custody". hrw.org. Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  2. "Case Information Sheet The Prosecutor v. Mahamat Said Abdel Kani" (PDF). International Criminal Court. February 2023. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 July 2023.
  3. Grilhot, Gael. "CENTRAFRIQUE : L'AVERTISSEMENT DE LA CPI". justiceinfo.net. Justice Info. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  4. International Federation for Human Rights (February 2003). République centrafricaine : Un pays aux mains des criminels de guerre de la Séléka (PDF) (Report). International Federation for Human Rights. p. 44.
  5. Moloma, Gisèle. "RCA : transfert de Mahamat Saïd à la CPI, le FPRC lance un ultimatum à la Minusca". corbeaunews-centrafrique. Corbeaunews Centrafrique. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  6. The Sentry, The Sentry. "Breaking: ICC Fugitive Arrested in Central African Republic, Headed to Hague". thesentry.org. The Sentry. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  7. Joyner, Ella. "CAR rebel leader pleads not guilty at Hague". dw.com. DW. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  8. Banafio, Moïse. "RCA : l'ex-général du FPRC Kousko Abdel Kani interpellé et transféré à Bangui". corbeaunews-centrafrique. Corbeaunews Centrafrique. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
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