In a first, ICC convicts Sudanese militia leader of Darfur war crimes
Subscribe for as low as
$2/week
to access this story and all reporting.
By entering your email, you agree to receive AL-MONITOR's daily newsletter and occasional marketing messages.
Why AL-MONITOR?
AL-MONITOR is an award-winning media outlet covering the Middle East, valued for its independence, diversity and analysis. It is read widely by US, international and Middle East decision makers at the highest levels, as well as by media, thought and business leaders and academia.
Read by
Live news & notifications
Follow over 100 expert journalists based across the region and get notified in real time of breaking stories and exclusives. *Expanded coverage on Energy & Defense sectors.
Premier analysis of the Middle East
Access the sharpest and most diverse regional minds giving you all the angles on regional trends.
Live events & video
Priority access to roundtables, summits and other events alongside AL-MONITOR's global community of regional influencers.
Specialized Newsletters
Get timely reporting on key countries and sectors with up to 10 daily and weekly newsletters straight to your inbox.
Big, exclusive interviews
Follow conversations with the region's biggest names in politics and business.
AL-MONITOR archives since 2012
Access a repository of over a decade's worth of regional coverage, insights and trends.
Subscribe for unlimited access
By becoming an AL-MONITOR subscriber, you drive our team’s rigorous and independent journalism spanning the Middle East.
Former senior commander of the Sudanese Janjaweed militia Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, appears for a hearing over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Darfur conflict in 2003-2004 at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, on Oct. 19, 2023. — KOEN VAN WEEL/ANP/AFP via Getty Images
More than two decades after the atrocities in Sudan’s Darfur region, the International Criminal Court on Monday convicted a former militia leader of war crimes and crimes against humanity. It's the ICC's first-ever verdict addressing crimes committed during the conflict.
What happened: Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, was found guilty on 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in leading Janjaweed militias in carrying out attacks on non-Arab communities in Darfur between 2003 and 2004.
#ICC Trial Chamber I finds Ali Muhammad Ali #AbdAlRahman guilty of 27 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in #Darfur, #Sudan.
Rahman was a senior commander in the Janjaweed, a government-backed militia that terrorized the region during the early years of the conflict, killing hundreds of thousands and displacing millions.
Delivering the verdict in The Hague, presiding Judge Joanna Korner said, “Acting on government of Sudan instructions, the Janjaweed carried out operations against several predominantly Fur and non-Arab villages in Darfur. … During these operations, villages were pillaged and destroyed, civilians were murdered, raped, persecuted, mistreated and forcibly displaced.”
You're reading a free AL-MONITOR Original
Want more like this?
AL-MONITOR All-Access gives you unlimited access to all our journalism, the full Daily Briefing, exclusive interviews, premium newsletters, and live events — for less than $2/week.