ICC sentences Sudanese militia leader to 20 years in prison for Darfur atrocities

Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) sentenced a leader of the Sudanese Janjaweed militia to 20 years in prison on Tuesday for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the catastrophic conflict in Darfur more than two decades ago.

At a hearing in The Hague last month, prosecutors sought a life sentence for Ali Muhammad Ali Abd–Al-Rahman who was convicted in October of 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity that included ordering mass executions and bludgeoning two prisoners to death with an axe between 2003-2004.

"He committed these crimes knowingly, wilfully, and with, the evidence shows, enthusiasm and vigour," prosecutor Julian Nicholls told judges at the sentencing hearing in November.

Abd-Al-Rahman, 76, stood and listened, but showed no reaction as Presiding Judge Joanna Korner passed the sentence.

He was handed sentences ranging from eight years to 20 years for each of the counts for which he was convicted before the court imposed the overarching joint sentence of 20 years.

She said that Abd-Al-Rahman "not only gave the orders that led directly to the crimes" in attacks that largely targeted members of the Fur tribe perceived as supporting a rebellion against Sudanese authorities, he "also personally perpetrated some of them using an axe he carried in order to beat prisoners."

The court's prosecution office said that its staff would study the sentencing decision to decide whether to "take further action." The office could appeal the sentence and renew its call for a life term.

The office said in a written statement that it sought a life sentence "owing to the extreme gravity of the crimes Mr. Abd-Al-Rahman was convicted of — murders, rapes, torture, persecution and other crimes carried out with a high level of cruelty and violence as a direct perpetrator, as a co-perpetrator and for ordering others to commit such crimes.".

It added that it also took into account the large number of victims, that included at least 213 people who were murdered, including children, and 16 women and girls who were victims of rape.

Abd–Al-Rahman, who is also known as Ali Kushayb, is the first person convicted by the ICC for atrocities in Sudan’s Darfur region, where trial judges ruled that the Janjaweed crimes were part of a government plan to stamp out a rebellion there.

The ICC can normally issue a maximum jail sentence of 30 years but judges have the discretion to raise that to life in extremely grave cases. Abd-Al-Rahman's time in detention before and during his trial will be deducted from the sentence.

Abd-Al-Rahman's crimes were committed more than two decades ago, but violence continues to plague Darfur as Sudan is torn apart by civil war.

ICC prosecutors are seeking to gather and preserve evidence from a deadly rampage last month in a besieged city in the region.

The latest alleged atrocities in el-Fasher "are part of a broader pattern of violence that has afflicted the entire Darfur region" and "may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity," the ICC statement said, noting that evidence could be used in future prosecutions.

Sudan has been riven by civil war since 2023 when a power struggle between the military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group spiralled into an armed conflict. The RSF has its roots in the Janjaweed militia.