A Sudanese militia commander, Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, widely known as Ali Kushayb, has been convicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Darfur conflict more than two decades ago.
Kushayb, one of the leaders of the Janjaweed militia, a government-backed group that terrorised Darfur in the early 2000s was found guilty on 27 counts related to attacks carried out between 2003 and 2004. He becomes the first person to be tried and convicted by the ICC for atrocities committed in Darfur.
Presiding Judge Joanna Korner said Kushayb “encouraged and gave instructions that resulted in killings, rapes, and destruction committed by the Janjaweed,” adding that he had ordered fighters to “wipe out and sweep away” non-Arab tribes.
Survivors who testified during the trial recounted harrowing experiences of entire villages being burned, men and boys executed, and women subjected to sexual violence.
Outside the courtroom in The Hague, members of the Darfuri community who had travelled to witness the verdict described Kushayb as a central figure in the atrocities. One attendee said, “He was the one who gave the orders. He was the one who got the weapons.”
The conflict in Darfur, which began in 2003, claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions. The Arab-dominated government at the time armed the Janjaweed militia to suppress a rebellion by non-Arab groups, leading to accusations of ethnic cleansing and genocide.
Despite the formal end of the war in 2020, Darfur remains engulfed in violence. The region is now a flashpoint in Sudan’s ongoing civil war between the national army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group that evolved from the Janjaweed.
International observers, including the UK, the US, and human rights organisations, have accused the RSF of continuing ethnic cleansing against non-Arab communities since fighting reignited in 2023.
Dr. Matthew Benson-Strohmayer, Sudan Research Director at the London School of Economics, told the BBC that while the ICC verdict is significant, it may have little impact on the ongoing conflict. He described the current war as “a war of terror” marked by sexual violence, starvation, and the deliberate targeting of civilians.
Although Kushayb’s conviction marks a milestone in the quest for justice, the ICC still has outstanding warrants against several Sudanese officials, including former President Omar al-Bashir, who faces charges of genocide, which he denies.
Bashir, who was deposed in a 2019 coup, is reportedly in military custody in northern Sudan.
Ali Kushayb’s sentence will be announced at a later date.
Source: BBC
