Two decades after the scorched-earth campaign that left hundreds of thousands dead in Sudan’s Darfur, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has delivered its first conviction linked to the Sudan conflict.
On Monday, the Court convicted Janjaweed commander Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, of playing a leading role in a campaign of atrocities committed in the region of Darfur more than 20 years ago.
It was the first time the court had convicted a suspect of crimes in Darfur. The court ruled that the atrocities, including mass murders and rapes, were part of a government plan to snuff out a rebellion in the western region of Sudan.
Ali Muhammad Ali Abd–al-Rahman, also known by the nom de guerre Ali Kushayb showed no emotion as the presiding judge, Joanna Korner, read out 27 guilty verdicts.
“The chamber is convinced that the accused is guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the crimes with which he has been charged,” said Korner. She added that sentencing would take place at a later date.
Kushayb fled to Central African Republic in February 2020 when a new Sudanese government announced its intention to cooperate with the ICC investigation.
He said he then handed himself in because he was “desperate” and feared authorities would kill him.
Kushayb, who is charged with overseeing thousands of pro-government Janjaweed fighters during the peak of fighting from 2003-2004, has denied the charges.
In his closing statement delivered in December 2024, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said that during the two-year trial, prosecution witnesses had given “detailed accounts of mass murder, torture, rape, targeting of civilians, burning and pillaging of entire villages” and that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt.
Darfur's conflict first erupted when rebels took up arms against Sudan's government, accusing it of marginalizing the remote western territory. Sudan's then government mobilized mostly Arab militias, known as the Janjaweed, to crush the revolt, unleashing a wave of violence that the US and human rights groups said amounted to genocide.
Since the start of the ICC trial, conflict has erupted again in Darfur and the current 20-month conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has turned increasingly bloody as ceasefire efforts have stalled.
In June 2024, Khan announced that he is also urgently investigating allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity currently being committed in Darfur.
