MWE Correspondent
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has found former Janjaweed commander Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, widely known as Ali Kushayb, guilty of 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the brutal conflict that ravaged Sudan’s Darfur region more than 20 years ago.
The verdict, delivered on Monday at The Hague, represents the ICC’s first conviction linked to the atrocities in Darfur — a conflict that began in 2003 when non-Arab rebel groups accused the Sudanese government of marginalizing the region. In response, the government unleashed the Janjaweed militias, a force that terrorized villages, burned homes, and killed thousands.
Reading out the judgment, presiding judge Joanna Korner said the court had unanimously agreed that Abd-Al-Rahman was directly responsible for organizing, encouraging, and carrying out a campaign of terror in the early 2000s. “He encouraged and gave orders that resulted in killings, rapes, and the destruction of entire communities,” she declared, adding that his instructions to troops were explicit: “Wipe out and sweep away non-Arab tribes. Bring no one alive.”
The sentencing phase will follow in coming weeks, with prosecutors expected to push for a life term. The decision comes 20 years after the United Nations Security Council first referred the Darfur situation to the ICC in 2005 — a move that marked one of the earliest tests of the court’s mandate to pursue justice where national systems fail.
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For survivors of the Darfur genocide, the verdict carries deep emotional weight. Many see it not just as a legal triumph but as long-overdue recognition of their suffering.
“As victims, this is a victory for us and for justice,” said Jamal Abdallah, 32, who was forced to flee his home in West Darfur when he was just a child. “We were displaced and lived in camps for decades. To see one of those responsible finally held accountable means the world to us.”
Human rights advocates echoed that sentiment, calling the conviction a powerful message to other perpetrators still at large. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk described the ruling as “an important acknowledgment of the enormous suffering endured by victims, and a long-overdue step toward justice.”
Justice After Years of Silence
For years, many had lost faith that justice would ever be served. Despite multiple arrest warrants, including one for former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, few had been held accountable. Abd-Al-Rahman’s conviction is therefore seen as a symbolic moment — one that could reignite international pressure for other prosecutions.
Yet, as legal experts caution, justice remains fragile. Darfur continues to face violence, displacement, and instability, with recent reports of clashes forcing thousands to flee once again.
Still, for many who lived through the horrors, this week’s judgment signals hope — a glimmer that even after decades, truth can prevail.
“This verdict doesn’t erase our pain,” said another survivor from Nyala. “But it tells us that the world did not forget us.”
