A former commander of Sudan’s Janjaweed militia received a 20-year joint prison term for crimes committed during the Darfur conflict two decades ago, the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced on Tuesday.
The sentencing followed the court’s unanimous decision in October finding Ali Muhammad Ali Abd al-Rahman — widely known as Ali Kushayb — guilty of multiple crimes against humanity and war crimes linked to military operations in Kodoom, Bindisi and surrounding areas in 2003 and 2004. The chamber confirmed that he was convicted on 31 counts, including attacks against civilians, murder, torture, rape, pillaging, persecution, destruction of property, and the forcible transfer of population.
According to the ICC, Abd al-Rahman was found guilty on 27 counts in a separate determination issued on Oct. 6, which covered the period between August 2003 and April 2004 in Darfur, Sudan. The judges stressed that these crimes emerged from large-scale assaults carried out during a violent phase of the conflict.
The chamber explained that the final sentence reflected certain mitigating elements, pointing to his age, his voluntary surrender, and what the judges described as good conduct throughout proceedings. However, the ICC said it gave these factors “only limited weight” when calculating the term of imprisonment. The court added that the time he has already spent in detention — starting June 9, 2020 — will be deducted.
Abd al-Rahman was transferred to the court’s custody in June 2020 after surrendering in the Central African Republic, leading to the confirmation of charges the following year.
Darfur has endured brutal conflict since 2003, when government forces and allied groups fought against three rebel movements. United Nations figures estimate that the violence resulted in around 300,000 deaths and displaced approximately 2.5 million people.
