The International Criminal Court (ICC) has convicted former Sudanese militia leader Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.
Judges in The Hague found him guilty of 31 charges, including murder, rape, and torture. This marks the ICC’s first conviction for crimes committed in Darfur. The sentence will be announced at a later date.
Abd-Al-Rahman was identified as a top leader of the Janjaweed militia, which carried out mass killings with support from the Sudanese government between 2003 and 2006. The violence claimed an estimated 300,000 lives.
Former Sudanese president also wanted for genocide
Presiding judge Joanna Korner stated there was “no doubt whatsoever” about his guilt.
Witnesses testified that villages were attacked under his orders, residents were killed, women were raped, and properties were looted. Abd-Al-Rahman voluntarily surrendered to the court in 2020 but denied all involvement.
The case stems from a 2005 referral by the United Nations Security Council. Despite this, it is the only trial to have resulted in a conviction so far. The ICC is also seeking to prosecute former president Omar al-Bashir for genocide, but Sudan has refused to hand him over.
Systematic atrocities against non-Arab groups
The Janjaweed militia has largely been absorbed into the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). In 2023, fighting reignited as the RSF clashed with Sudan’s national army, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), in a battle for power.
In early January this year, just before Donald Trump was sworn in, the US, under Secretary of State Antony Blinken, designated the situation in Sudan as genocide.
The RSF has been systematically committing atrocities against non-Arab groups. In 2023, at least 15,000 people are believed to have been killed in West Darfur alone.
