Mahmoud Dicko (Arabic: محمود ديكو; born around 1954[1]) is a Malian Salafi imam from the Tombouctou Region who chaired the High Islamic Council of Mali (Haut Conseil islamique malien, HCIM) from January 2008 to April 2019.
[2] A politico-religious leader considered in 2020 one of the most influential people in Mali, though he has never run for public office,[3] Dicko served as mediator between the Malian government and jihadist groups in the north of the country.
[4] A former Arabic professor, trained in Saudi Arabia[1] and Mauritania,[5] Dicko became imam of the Salam mosque of Badalabougou in the early 1980s.
[9] In 2012, during the Mali War, he took a stand in favor of dialogue with Islamists and met with Iyad Ag Ghali, the leader of Ansar Dine.
[12] In December 2015, at the Grand Mosque of Bamako, he stated that jihadism was a creation of the West and of France with the goal of "recolonizing Mali".
[18] On 10 July, during the third day of mobilization, clashes occurred, causing several deaths; leaders of the opposition coalition were arrested and then released.
[24] On February 17, 2024, supporters of Imam Mahmoud Dicko created Synergy of Action for Mali, a coalition of parties and associations opposing the Malian junta.