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ICC delivers historic sentence for Darfur war crimes
The International Criminal Court (ICC) sentenced Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, a former Sudanese militia commander, to two decades in prison on Tuesday for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Darfur over 20 years ago.
Conviction details
Abd-Al-Rahman, widely known as Ali Kushayb, was found guilty in October on 27 counts linked to the brutal campaign in Darfur. At 76, he is the first individual prosecuted by the ICC for atrocities during the region's civil war. During sentencing, he stood silently in a light blue suit as presiding judge Joanna Korner read the verdict.
Judge Korner stated that Kushayb not only issued orders that directly led to the crimes but also participated in some of them personally. She highlighted his instructions to troops to "wipe out and sweep away" non-Arab tribes, adding, "Don't leave anyone behind. Bring no one alive."
Darfur's legacy of violence
The conflict, spanning from 2003 to 2020, resulted in one of the most severe humanitarian crises globally, with accusations of ethnic cleansing and genocide targeting Darfur's non-Arab population. The Sudanese government at the time armed the Janjaweed militia, which Kushayb helped lead, to crush a rebellion by Black African ethnic groups.
Survivors testified during the trial about villages being torched, men and boys massacred, and women subjected to sexual slavery. The systematic attacks on non-Arab communities fueled allegations of genocide.
Ongoing crisis and impunity
Five years after the initial conflict ended, Darfur has become a battleground in another civil war, this time between Sudan's military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group with roots in the Janjaweed. The UK, US, and human rights organizations have accused the RSF of continuing ethnic cleansing against non-Arab communities since 2023, charges the RSF denies.
"Deterrence is particularly apposite in this case given the current state of affairs in Sudan,"
Judge Joanna Korner
Dr. Matthew Benson-Strohmayer, Sudan Research Director at the London School of Economics, told the BBC that the pattern of militia recruitment, rebellion suppression, and sexual violence as a weapon of war has persisted across both conflicts. He described the current fighting in Darfur as "a war of terror" but expressed skepticism that Kushayb's conviction would alter the course of the ongoing violence.
Unfinished justice
While Kushayb's sentence marks a rare accountability milestone, most victims of the first Darfur crisis remain displaced. The ICC still has outstanding arrest warrants for other Sudanese officials, including former President Omar al-Bashir, who faces genocide charges but remains in military custody following his 2019 ouster. Bashir has denied the allegations.
