Sudanese Militia Leader Sentenced to 20 Years for Darfur War Crimes

Sat Dec 20 2025 13:53:54 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, known as Ali Kushayb, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison by the International Criminal Court for multiple counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Darfur conflict.

The International Criminal Court has sentenced Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, a former militia chief, to 20 years in prison for his role in the brutal Darfur conflict, marking a significant step in the pursuit of accountability for war crimes. Convicted on 27 counts, Kushayb, previously a leader of the Janjaweed militia, was found guilty of atrocities including killings and sexual violence committed against non-Arab populations. This conviction comes amidst ongoing violence in Sudan, reminding the world of the current humanitarian crises stemming from the long-standing conflict.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has sentenced a Sudanese militia leader to 20 years in prison for atrocities committed during a civil war more than two decades ago.

Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman had been convicted in October on 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Darfur region.

Known as Ali Kushayb, he was one of the leaders of the Janjaweed, a government-backed group that terrorised Darfur, killing hundreds of thousands of people.

Kushayb, aged 76, is the first person to be tried by the ICC for atrocities committed during the civil war. He had argued the charges were a case of mistaken identity.

Dressed in a light blue suit and tie, Kushayb stood quietly as presiding judge Joanna Korner delivered his sentence on Tuesday.

Abdal Raman not only gave the orders which led directly to the crimes but also personally perpetrated some of them, Judge Korner told the court.

The conflict in question lasted from 2003 to 2020 and was one of the world's gravest humanitarian disasters, with allegations of ethnic cleansing and genocide against the region's non-Arabic population.

Five years after the end of that crisis, Darfur is a key battleground in another civil war, this time between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), whose origins lie in the Janjaweed.

During Kushayb's trial, survivors described how their villages were burned down, men and boys slaughtered, and women forced into sex slavery.

Judge Korner stated that Kushayb had given orders to wipe out and sweep away non-Arab tribes and instructed soldiers don't leave anyone behind. Bring no one alive.

The Darfur war began after the Arab-dominated government armed the Janjaweed to suppress an uprising by black African ethnic groups. The Janjaweed systematically attacked non-Arab villagers due to allegations of supporting the rebels, leading to accusations of genocide.

Nevertheless, systematic violence continues in Darfur amid Sudan's current civil war. The UK, US, and various rights groups have accused the RSF of ethnic cleansing against non-Arab communities in Darfur since the conflict began in 2023, which the RSF denies.

In passing Kushayb's sentence, Judge Korner emphasized the ICC's aim for both retribution and deterrence, noting that deterrence is particularly apposite in this case given the current state of affairs in Sudan.

Dr. Matthew Benson-Strohmayer, Sudan Research Director at the London School of Economics, highlighted the ongoing terror in Darfur, noting the persistent violence as a tool of inconsiderate warfare.

Despite the encouraging conviction, Dr. Benson-Strohmayer expressed doubt that it would have a substantial impact on the current conflicts. Most survivors of the first Darfur crisis remain displaced, with several arrest warrants still outstanding against Sudanese officials, including the former President Omar al-Bashir, who denies charges of genocide.