ICC convicts Sudanese militia leader for war crimes in Darfur conflict

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has convicted Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, widely known as Ali Kushayb, of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Darfur conflict more than two decades ago.

Kushayb, a senior commander of the Janjaweed militia, was found guilty on 27 counts linked to attacks carried out between 2003 and 2004. The Janjaweed, backed by Sudan’s then-government, unleashed a campaign of terror that left hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced.

This verdict marks the first ICC conviction related to the atrocities in Darfur. Kushayb had maintained his innocence, insisting he had been wrongly identified.

Presiding Judge Joanna Korner stated that the militia leader “encouraged and gave instructions that directly resulted in killings, rapes, and the destruction of villages.” She said he ordered fighters to “wipe out and sweep away” non-Arab tribes, commanding them not to spare anyone alive.

During the trial, survivors recounted harrowing experiences of their villages being burned, men executed, and women enslaved. Many Darfuri victims who attended the proceedings in The Hague described Kushayb as a central figure in their suffering, with one witness declaring, “He was the one who gave the orders. He was the one who got the weapons.”

The Darfur conflict, which erupted in 2003, stemmed from an armed uprising by rebel groups from Black African ethnic communities against the Arab-dominated Sudanese government. In response, the regime armed the Janjaweed to crush the rebellion—resulting in widespread mass killings, ethnic cleansing, and sexual violence.

Despite a fragile peace in 2020, Darfur remains engulfed in violence as the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) — a paramilitary group that evolved from the Janjaweed — continue to wage a brutal civil war.

Human rights organizations and Western governments, including the United Kingdom and the United States, have accused the RSF of conducting ethnic cleansing against non-Arab communities in the region since renewed hostilities began in 2023.

Dr. Matthew Benson-Strohmayer, Sudan Research Director at the London School of Economics, told the BBC that while the ICC ruling was symbolically significant, it might not immediately influence the ongoing conflict. “The war in Darfur today is being fought as a war of terror,” he said. “Sexual violence and starvation are being weaponized to subjugate entire populations.”

Although the ICC’s judgment against Kushayb represents a landmark step toward justice, several key figures, including former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, remain wanted by the court. Bashir, accused of genocide and other crimes, denies the allegations and is reportedly in military custody in northern Sudan following his 2019 ouster.

Kushayb’s sentencing will be delivered at a later date.