Ofure Akhigbe
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has convicted former Sudanese militia leader Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, for atrocities committed during the Darfur conflict more than two decades ago.
The court found Abd-Al-Rahman guilty of 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, rape, torture, and persecution. Judges announced the verdict on Monday, marking the first-ever conviction related to the Darfur conflict since the United Nations Security Council referred the case to the ICC in 2005. His sentence will be determined following a new round of hearings.
Abd-Al-Rahman, who denied all 31 charges when his trial began in April 2022, was accused of leading Janjaweed militia forces responsible for widespread atrocities between 2003 and 2004. Prosecutors described his campaign as one of “beastly violence,” involving coordinated attacks on villages, mass killings, and the use of rape as a weapon of war.
Over the course of the trial, 56 witnesses gave testimony recounting harrowing scenes of entire communities wiped out, women assaulted, and villages burned. In one instance, witnesses recalled Abd-Al-Rahman ordering his men to attack again, saying: “Repeat, repeat for these people. Maybe there are some that you have missed.”
The Darfur conflict began in 2003, when rebels from non-Arab groups rose against the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum, accusing it of neglect and discrimination. The regime of then-President Omar al-Bashir responded with a brutal counterinsurgency campaign led by the Janjaweed militia. The violence left an estimated 300,000 people dead and displaced about 2.7 million others.
Al-Bashir himself faces ICC charges, including genocide, but remains at large.
The verdict comes amid renewed fighting and reports of atrocities in Darfur. In July 2025, the ICC’s deputy prosecutor told the United Nations that war crimes and crimes against humanity were still being committed in the region.
For survivors, Monday’s ruling represents a historic milestone for justice — and a stark reminder of the ongoing struggle for accountability in Sudan.