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Alleged Janjaweed Leader Denies Darfur Atrocities at War Crimes Court

A handout photo made available by the International Criminal Court (ICC-CPI) shows Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman (aka Ali Kushayb) attending the opening of his war crimes trial before Trial Chamber I at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, the Netherlands, 05 April 2022. (ICC CPI Handout)
A handout photo made available by the International Criminal Court (ICC-CPI) shows Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman (aka Ali Kushayb) attending the opening of his war crimes trial before Trial Chamber I at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, the Netherlands, 05 April 2022. (ICC CPI Handout)
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Alleged Janjaweed Leader Denies Darfur Atrocities at War Crimes Court

A handout photo made available by the International Criminal Court (ICC-CPI) shows Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman (aka Ali Kushayb) attending the opening of his war crimes trial before Trial Chamber I at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, the Netherlands, 05 April 2022. (ICC CPI Handout)
A handout photo made available by the International Criminal Court (ICC-CPI) shows Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman (aka Ali Kushayb) attending the opening of his war crimes trial before Trial Chamber I at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, the Netherlands, 05 April 2022. (ICC CPI Handout)

A man accused of leading Sudan's feared Janjaweed militia pleaded not guilty to dozens of war crimes charges on Tuesday, at the start of the International Criminal Court's first trial over the Darfur conflict.

Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman is charged with overseeing thousands of pro-government Janjaweed fighters during the peak of fighting from 2003-2004 and being responsible for atrocities including murder, rape, pillaging and torture.

"I am innocent of all of these charges," the septuagenarian told judges after the charges were read out at the start of his case.

Abd-Al-Rahman voluntarily surrendered to The Hague-based court in June 2020.

He has regularly denied the charges and his lawyers have argued in earlier stages of the proceedings he was not the Janjaweed militia leader also known as Ali Kushayb.

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said the trial was a momentous day for those in Sudan who had been waiting for justice for nearly two decades, likening their wait to a fast.

Referencing the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, Khan said the trial was "an Iftar (breaking of the fast) of sorts for the millions of Sudanese throughout the world that have been yearning for this day to come."

The trial comes amid what humanitarian groups say is an upsurge of inter-communal violence in Darfur since the end of the United Nations and African Union peacekeeping mission there.

Decades after the worst of the fighting, 1.6 million people are still internally displaced in Darfur, the United Nations estimates.

Darfur's conflict first erupted when mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms against Sudan's government, accusing it of marginalizing the remote western territory.

Sudan's then government mobilized militias, known as the Janjaweed, to crush the revolt, unleashing a wave of violence that Washington and some activists said amounted to genocide.

Abd-Al-Rahman has been accused of 31 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity and could face up to life imprisonment if convicted.

Prosecutors say he was a key Janjaweed leader that the government of Sudan relied upon and who participated knowingly and willingly in crimes.

They dismissed earlier statements by Abd-Al-Rahman that he is not Ali Kushayb.

"Witness after witness saw him, heard him, recognized him. Witness after witness knew Mr. Abd-Al-Rahman from before. This is - the prosecution says - a strong case," Khan said.

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Arab World

Revenge Attacks in Rural Damascus Raise Human Rights Concerns

Syrian security forces in Umayyad Square, Damascus, on January 8. (AFP)
Syrian security forces in Umayyad Square, Damascus, on January 8. (AFP)
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Revenge Attacks in Rural Damascus Raise Human Rights Concerns

Syrian security forces in Umayyad Square, Damascus, on January 8. (AFP)
Syrian security forces in Umayyad Square, Damascus, on January 8. (AFP)

Residents of Dummar, a suburb west of Damascus, publicly celebrated the execution of former local official Mazen Knaineh on Friday, raising alarm among civil society and human rights activists.

They called for justice and warned against lawless acts of revenge by armed groups.

Local sources said Knaineh had ties to Syrian security forces under former President Bashar al-Assad, particularly Branch 215, accused of killing detainees. Opposition figures claim he aided government raids on Dummar and Hameh in 2016.

The execution was reportedly carried out by armed locals who recently joined the new administration’s security forces. Residents had demanded his death, blaming him for the loss of many family members.

The incident has fueled calls to stop revenge killings and ensure justice is pursued legally in Syria’s fragile post-conflict period.

Civil society activists have raised concerns over the growing trend of extrajudicial executions in Syria, warning that such acts undermine the hopes of building a “new state” grounded in law and justice.

Lawyer and civil rights activist Rahada Abdosh expressed strong opposition to field executions, stating they are not a path to healing.

“Revenge will only bring more destruction to the country,” she told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“The abuse of corpses and the execution of individuals in front of children and their families is particularly troubling.”

Abdosh emphasized the need for specialized courts to prosecute those responsible for violence and bloodshed.

“We must hold everyone accountable for the harm they’ve caused,” she added.

Ahe warned that allowing groups to take action based on public complaints or accusations of crimes could repeat the abuses of the Assad regime, which carried out executions without trials.

She said this could “legitimize” the regime’s actions and noted that some accusations might be driven by personal revenge or unverified claims, risking more innocent victims.

Abdosh called on the current government to stop individual executions and abuses, urging the creation of a field court for fair trials. She stressed that transitional justice must include both acknowledging the crimes and offering compensation.

“Anything outside the law is a crime, and could be considered a war crime,” she added, highlighting that this could harm the government’s efforts to rebuild the country.

Sources close to Damascus military operations told Asharq Al-Awsat that there is increasing public pressure on the new administration to quickly deliver justice.

They noted that many families are grieving and impatient, while the government continues work on restoring security, disarming groups, and rebuilding, which will take time.

Civil activist Salma Al-Sayyad expressed her empathy for the grieving families in Dummar but warned that emotional reactions like vigilante justice could harm innocent people and fuel revenge.

“While I understand their pain and their desire for justice, I fear this could lead to more injustice,” she told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Al-Sayyad called for a future Syria based on the rule of law, where justice is carried out through fair trials, clear evidence, and a judge.

“We need an independent judicial system,” she emphasized.

In related developments, Syria’s military operations launched a large security campaign in rural Damascus, targeting individuals connected to the ousted regime.

This has led to clashes in areas like Qudsayya, where former regime officers and loyalist fighters are concentrated.