ICC prosecutors seeks life sentence for Janjaweed commander Ali Kushayb over Darfur atrocities
The case stems from the early years of the Darfur conflict, which erupted in 2003 when non-Arab communities rose against the Khartoum government, accusing it of decades of neglect.
Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have urged judges to hand former Janjaweed commander Ali Muhammad Ali Abd–Al-Rahman a life sentence.
Abd–Al-Rahman was convicted in October for orchestrating brutal attacks during the Darfur conflict in Sudan over two decades ago.
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Also known as Ali Kushayb, he was found guilty of 27 counts related to mass killings, rapes, and other atrocities committed between 2003 and 2004.
"You literally have an axe murderer before you. He committed these crimes knowingly, wilfully, and with, the evidence shows, enthusiasm and vigour," prosecutor Julian Nicholls told the court on Monday, according to AP News, urging the judges to impose the maximum sentence.
Abd–Al-Rahman, who surrendered to authorities in the Central African Republic in 2020, has consistently denied the charges. When his trial began in April 2022, he claimed he was not the man known as Ali Kushayb.
Defence rejected
ICC judges later rejected this defence, noting that he had identified himself by that name in a video recorded at the time of his surrender.
His lawyers are expected to make their arguments later this week, requesting a seven-year sentence—a term that could see the 76-year-old released in roughly 18 months, factoring in time already served.
The case stems from the early years of the Darfur conflict, which erupted in 2003 when non-Arab communities rose against the Khartoum government, accusing it of decades of neglect.
In response, the Sudanese government launched airstrikes and sent Janjaweed militias into villages in early-morning raids.
Deaths, displacements
The conflict left an estimated 300,000 people dead and nearly three million displaced.
Former Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir also faces ICC charges, including genocide, but has never been transferred to The Hague.
The sentencing comes as Sudan faces renewed turmoil.
In 2023, the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – born from Darfur's Janjaweed militias – clashed in a fierce power struggle that disrupted the country's democratic transition.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), at least 40,000 people have been killed and 12 million displaced over the past year.
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