The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday sentenced a notorious Sudan militia chief to 20 years in prison for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed two decades ago. This pivotal ruling delivers a measure of justice to victims of the brutal Darfur civil war.
The court previously convicted Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, on 27 counts. Specifically, he faced charges for rape, murder, and torture in the western Darfur region from 2003 to 2004. The 76-year-old stood impassively in a blue suit as presiding judge Joanna Korner announced the verdict.
A Legacy of Brutality
Abd-Al-Rahman actively participated in numerous war crimes as a leading member of Sudan’s infamous Janjaweed militia. Furthermore, Judge Korner stated that Abd-Al-Rahman personally committed beatings, even using an axe, and regularly issued orders for executions. Victims reported that the convicted leader led a brutal “campaign of extermination, humiliation, and displacement.” Prosecutor Julian Nicholls demanded a life sentence, describing Abd-Al-Rahman as an “axe murderer.”
However, the defense always denied he served as a high-ranking official within the Janjaweed command structure. The Sudanese government armed this Arab paramilitary force to target black African tribes in Darfur.
Seeking to evade justice, Abd-Al-Rahman fled to the Central African Republic in February 2020 after a new Sudanese government pledged full cooperation with the ICC investigation. Consequently, he later surrendered, claiming desperation and fear of being killed by local authorities. The court decisively rejected this convenient justification for his long-awaited surrender.
Roots of the Conflict
Non-Arab tribes complained of systemic discrimination, triggering the Darfur fighting in the early 2000s. These marginalised tribes took up arms directly against the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum, which reacted forcefully, unleashing the brutal Janjaweed, a force recruited from nomadic tribes. In the end, the United Nations documented 300,000 fatalities and 2.5 million people displaced by the horrific conflict.
The ICC conviction holds symbolic importance for many Sudanese victims, according to deputy prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang. Meanwhile, Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continue a devastating ongoing war.
The RSF traces its origins directly back to the notorious Janjaweed militia, creating deep historical links. Atrocities mark the current conflict, leaving the northeast African nation dangerously close to mass famine. Therefore, prosecutors plan to issue new arrest warrants targeting individuals linked to Sudan’s current crisis. Niang sent a powerful message, “Justice may be slow, but it will certainly get you in the end.”
