The International Criminal Court has sentenced Sudanese militia leader Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, to 20 years in prison for war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Darfur conflict two decades ago.
The 76-year-old was convicted in October on 27 counts, including murder, rape, torture, and attacks against civilians in western Darfur between 2003 and 2004. This marks the ICC’s first-ever conviction related to the Darfur conflict.
Presiding judge Joanna Korner said Ali “personally perpetrated” beatings, including with an axe, and gave orders for executions. She cited victims’ testimonies describing a “campaign of extermination, humiliation and displacement,” adding that survivors recounted, “Days of torture began at sunrise… blood ran freely in the streets… There was no medical help, no treatment, no mercy.”
Prosecutor Julian Nicholls had pushed for a life sentence, calling Ali “literally an axe murderer… the stuff of nightmares.” Ali, who repeatedly denied being a senior Janjaweed commander, fled to the Central African Republic in February 2020 after Sudan’s new government announced cooperation with the ICC. He later surrendered, claiming he feared for his life, a claim the court dismissed.
Judge Korner highlighted that Ali’s voluntary surrender, age, and good behaviour in detention were mitigating factors.
“The chamber would have pronounced a higher sentence had it not been for these circumstances,” she said, noting that the time he has spent in detention since June 2020 will count toward the 20-year term.
The Darfur conflict began in the early 2000s when non-Arab tribes rebelled against Sudan’s Arab-dominated government, which responded by deploying the Janjaweed militia.
The United Nations estimates that 300,000 people were killed and 2.5 million displaced.
Sudan is currently facing renewed violence, including a civil war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which traces its roots to the Janjaweed. Tens of thousands have died and millions have been displaced, creating a severe humanitarian crisis.
Judge Korner said the sentence aimed to ensure “both retribution and deterrence,” underlining its importance amid ongoing atrocities. ICC deputy prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang described the conviction as symbolic, sending a clear message to victims and perpetrators that justice, while slow, is unavoidable.
Ali’s sentencing concludes the ICC’s first trial addressing the Darfur conflict, while prosecutors continue pursuing additional warrants linked to Sudan’s current crisis.
