The International Criminal Court (ICC)'s conviction of Mahamat Said Abdel Kani for crimes against humanity in the Central African Republic offers an important measure of long-awaited justice for victims of the abusive Seleka armed group, Human Rights Watch said today.
In 2012, the predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels ousted the Central African Republic president, François Bozizé, and seized power through a campaign of violence and terror. In March 2013, the Seleka took control of Bangui, the capital, attacking civilians and pillaging the city. In late 2013, Christian and animist militias known as anti-balaka, began to organize counterattacks against the Seleka. Both the Seleka and anti-balaka have been implicated in widespread atrocities against civilians.
"As the first ICC verdict against a high-level Seleka commander, the judgment against Said is a significant milestone in the fight against impunity for serious crimes in the Central African Republic," said Lewis Mudge, Central Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "But this should only be considered a first step. The verdict is also a stark reminder of the ongoing abuses in the country, and the need for increased support for both international and domestic justice efforts to end the accountability gap that helps fuel recurring cycles of violence."
ICC judges convicted Said for crimes committed at the Central Office for the Repression of Banditry (Office Central de Répression du Banditisme, OCRB) in Bangui between April and August 2013. The crimes include imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty, torture, other inhumane acts, and persecution.
Said was acquitted on the charges of war crimes. The majority of the judges found that the ouster of François Bozizé in March 2013 ended the conflict that had begun between the Seleka and the Central African armed forces in 2012, and therefore, there was no conflict at the time the alleged crimes were committed. Said was also acquitted for some incidents related to the crimes against humanity charges, including for lack of sufficient evidence.
The court laid out a timeline for the sentencing proceedings, which will include a hearing in November. The court should take all necessary steps to ensure that affected communities in the Central African Republic learn about the judgment and next steps, including any appeals and reparations proceedings, Human Rights Watch said.
Said is believed to have joined the Seleka in 2012 and was promoted to lieutenant, colonel, and then commander. In April 2013, when Seleka abuse in Bangui was acute, he was given a key role in the Central Office for the Repression of Banditry. The agency is a police unit created in the late 1990s to address a rise in banditry, which developed a reputation for abuse. Its abuse continues today and the government uses the unit at times to warn government critics of potential consequences of their criticism.
Said was arrested in the Central African Republic and surrendered to the ICC on January 24, 2021. The court's judges had issued an under-seal arrest warrant against him on January 7, 2019. In 2014, the Seleka splintered into several groups, including the Popular Front for the Renaissance (Front populaire pour la renaissance de la Centrafrique, FPRC), headed by Noureddine Adam and Michel Djotodia. Some factions of the FPRC aligned themselves with anti-balaka forces. Djotodia, who is sanctioned by the US Treasury, lives in Benin but returned to Bangui in 2020 for a short stay and is sometimes back in the country.
Adam is reported to be between Chad and Sudan, where he continues to evade justice. On July 28, 2022, the ICC unsealed an arrest warrant against Adam, which was first issued against him under seal on January 7, 2019. ICC member countries should make every effort to support the court in arresting Adam and bring him to justice, Human Rights Watch said.
Other high-profile Seleka leaders, such as Mahamat Al Khatim, Saleh Zabadi, and Ali Darassa, continue to lead splinter Seleka groups.
In July 2025, ICC judges convicted two anti-balaka leaders, Alfred Yékatom and Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Central African Republic between December 2013 and August 2014. Yékatom and Ngaïssona were sentenced to 15 and 12 years in prison, respectively, and appeals are ongoing. Another anti-balaka commander, Maxim Mokom, was surrendered to the court in March 2022, but the prosecution withdrew the charges against him in October 2023, citing a lack of evidence and witnesses.
The ICC opened the investigation into crimes committed in the Central African Republic since 2012, following a request from the Central African Republic government in 2014. This was the ICC's second investigation into crimes committed in the country. The first investigation related to an earlier conflict, in 2002 and 2003, and resulted in the acquittal of Jean-Pierre Bemba, a former vice president from the Democratic Republic of Congo. In December 2022, the ICC prosecutor announced the completion of his office's investigative activities in the Central African Republic.
ICC investigations in the Central African Republic have been complemented by proceedings before the Special Criminal Court in Bangui, staffed by international and Central African judges and prosecutors. The court has issued verdicts in four cases and has several ongoing proceedings and investigations. This critical justice avenue is facing significant financial challenges. International partners should provide the court with the resources it needs to fulfill its important mandate, Human Rights Watch said.
Said's verdict comes at a time when the ICC is facing extreme pressure. In February 2025, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order authorizing sanctions on ICC officials and others supporting the court's work. Since then, the US government has imposed sanctions on ICC officials and staff, a UN expert, and three leading Palestinian human rights organizations. Together with three other human rights groups, Human Rights Watch has sued the Trump administration in a US court over its sanctions targeting the ICC.
On July 13, 2026, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced an escalated campaign to "dismantle" the court, including an increased use of sanctions and pressure on ICC member countries to leave the court.
"The ICC is a critical court of last resort to deliver justice for the most serious crimes in the Central African Republic and across its docket," Mudge said. "ICC member countries should redouble their efforts to protect the ICC and those supporting its work, so it can deliver on its essential global mandate."
