The International Criminal Court (ICC) is calling for the maximum penalty life imprisonment for Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, widely known as Ali Kushayb, a former commander of Sudan’s infamous Janjaweed militia.
Prosecutors allege that Abd-Al-Rahman orchestrated a campaign of massacres, rapes, and village burnings in Darfur more than two decades ago. Last month, the ICC secured a landmark conviction against him on 27 counts, including murder, rape, and persecution the first-ever conviction related to the Darfur conflict.
Abd-Al-Rahman has consistently denied the charges, claiming he was not the individual known as Ali Kushayb, a defense that the judges dismissed. His legal team is now seeking a drastically reduced sentence of seven years, which could see the 76-year-old released within 18 months, factoring in time already served.
The trial occurs amid renewed instability in Sudan, where clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, formerly allies, have claimed at least 40,000 lives and displaced 12 million people since 2023. As Darfur faces the threat of further atrocities, the ICC’s sentencing of one of the region’s most notorious militia leaders carries profound symbolic and legal significance.
