Ali Kushayb was found guilty of 27 war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has found Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, popularly known as Ali Kushayb, guilty of 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Sudan’s Darfur region more than twenty years ago.
This landmark decision marks the first ICC conviction related to Darfur since the U.N. Security Council referred the situation to the court in 2005. The ruling represents a significant milestone in the pursuit of justice for victims of one of Africa’s deadliest humanitarian crises.
Delivering the judgment, Presiding Judge Joanna Korner said the court unanimously ruled that Kushayb was responsible for the atrocities committed by the Janjaweed militia between 2003 and 2004.
“He encouraged and gave instructions that resulted in killings, rapes, and destruction. He told his men to wipe out non-Arab tribes and to bring no one alive,” said Judge Korner.
The 64-year-old former militia leader surrendered to the ICC in 2020 after evading arrest for years. His sentencing will be announced after additional hearings.
The Darfur war erupted in 2003 when non-Arab rebel groups accused Sudan’s government of neglecting the region. In response, the then-president Omar al-Bashir deployed Arab militias known as the Janjaweed to crush the rebellion.
The brutal campaign left about 300,000 people dead and millions displaced. Many global organisations, including the United States, described the violence as genocide.
For survivors, the verdict brought long-awaited relief and closure.
“As victims, the ruling is a victory for us and for justice. We were made refugees for 22 years. This restores hope,” said Jamal Abdallah, a displaced resident from West Darfur.
U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk praised the decision as a long-overdue acknowledgement of the victims’ pain, describing it as “an important step toward accountability.”
Despite the conviction, the ICC continues to pursue other senior Sudanese figures linked to the Darfur atrocities.
Former President Omar al-Bashir and ex-defence minister Abdelrahim Mohamed Hussein remain in military custody, while former interior minister Ahmed Haroun is still at large.
In Kalma camp, South Darfur, displaced residents watched the verdict live via a Starlink terminal, expressing renewed hope for justice and reparations.
“We have been waiting for more than 20 years for this day,” one elderly man said.
The verdict comes at a time when Sudan is once again facing intense fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group widely believed to have roots in the Janjaweed militias.
“The same people who were there in the 2000s are in the RSF now. The reason they repeat their crimes is the lack of accountability,” added Abdallah.
