ICC Convicts Mahamat Said for Crimes Against Humanity

On September 23, 2026, the International Criminal Court (ICC) convicted Mahamat Said Abdel Kani, a 56-year-old former rebel commander from the Central African Republic, on four counts of crimes against humanity, which included torture and unlawful imprisonment. The ICC found that Said oversaw severe beatings and maltreatment as the head of a notorious prison unit during the civil war that erupted in 2013.

In the courtroom, Said, dressed in a blue sweatshirt and jeans, shook his head repeatedly as presiding judge Miatta Maria Samba outlined the crimes. The ICC has yet to announce a sentencing date for Said, who was acquitted of three counts of war crimes.

He managed the Central Office for the Repression of Banditry (OCRB) detention center in Bangui, where prosecutors alleged that horrific acts of torture and deprivation were inflicted on prisoners.