The International Criminal Court (ICC) has found Sudanese militia leader Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in atrocities committed during the Darfur conflict between 2003 and 2004.
ICC President Judge Joanna Korner announced on Monday that the chamber was “convinced that the accused is guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the crimes with which he has been charged.” Sentencing hearings are scheduled for November 17 to 21, with the final decision to follow.
Korner detailed graphic accounts of Abd-Al-Rahman’s actions, describing how he ordered and personally participated in the brutal killing of civilians. On one occasion, she said, he forced around 50 civilians onto trucks, beat them with axes, and later commanded his troops to execute them. “The accused was not only giving orders… but was personally involved in the beatings and later was physically present and giving orders for the execution of those detained,” she added.
Abd-Al-Rahman, who was a senior commander of the Janjaweed militia, faced 31 counts of crimes including murder, rape, torture, and persecution. The militia, backed by the Sudanese government at the time, targeted non-Arab tribes in Darfur, leading to widespread devastation. The United Nations estimates that 300,000 people were killed and 2.5 million displaced during the conflict.
The 74-year-old defendant, dressed in a blue suit and red tie, appeared expressionless throughout the verdict, occasionally jotting down notes. He has denied all charges, insisting that he was misidentified, saying, “I am not Ali Kushayb. I do not know this person… I have nothing to do with the accusations against me.”
Abd-Al-Rahman fled Sudan in 2020 following the transitional government’s cooperation with the ICC and surrendered in the Central African Republic, claiming he feared being killed by local authorities.
ICC prosecutors described him as one of the key figures who “inflicted severe pain and suffering on women, children, and men in the villages that he left in his wake.”
Human rights observers welcomed the verdict, with Sudanese legal group Emergency Lawyers calling it “an historic day in the path of Sudanese justice,” adding that the ruling “opens a door of hope for the victims of crimes in Darfur and throughout the country.”
