Ali Mohammed Ali Abdul Rahman Ali, at the ICC Trial Chamber X. |Photo Courtesy, AP|.
The Hague, Netherlands, 6 October 2025
Judges in The Hague convicted Sudan’s warlord, Ali Mohammed Ali Abdul Rahman Ali, better known as Ali Kushayb, a leader of the Janjaweed militia, for crimes he committed in the Western Sudan region of Darfur between August 2003 and April 2004.
However, the defense lawyers told the International Criminal Court on Thursday that their client was not a Sudanese militia leader who had participated in war crimes, but rather “a no one” who had no involvement in the ongoing conflict in the nation.
Kushayb denied 31 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity in what the defense claims is a case of mistaken identity.
The Amnesty International Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, reacted to the decision of the Trial Chamber X of the ICC to convict Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed.
Chagutah said this long-overdue verdict goes some way in providing justice for the victims of Ali Kushayb and should serve as a significant milestone in the pursuit of justice for crimes committed in Darfur more than two decades ago.
He stated that the conviction should serve as a warning to those committing abuses in the context of the ongoing Sudan conflict that they will one day be held individually accountable.
“To ensure that the ICC can pursue comprehensive justice for all victims, the United Nations Security Council should extend the Court’s mandate from Darfur to the entirety of Sudan,” Chagutah said. “This verdict should spur ICC member states to urgently enforce all outstanding arrest warrants in the Darfur situation, including against former Sudan President Omar al-Bashir, and to enhance their political and financial support for the Court to enable the investigation of ongoing violations taking place in Darfur and related in Sudan.”
He said, despite US sanctions on the ICC, the Court has shown a clear resolve to continue its pursuit of justice for all victims, including in Darfur.
“In the face of ongoing US and other states’ attacks on the Court, ICC-member states must demonstrate their commitment and support for victims in Darfur and all other situation countries through concrete action to defend the court.”
Background
The trial of Ali Muhammed Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, charged by the ICC as a principal leader of the Janjaweed militia, began at the ICC in April 2022.
He was convicted of 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur, Sudan, between August 2003 and March 2004.
In 2005, the UN Security Council referred the situation in Darfur to the International Criminal Court (ICC). In 2009 and 2010, the ICC issued arrest warrants for President al-Bashir for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
The ICC has also issued arrest warrants for three other government officials and three members of armed opposition groups.
This recent verdict comes amid conflict in Sudan between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in which thousands have been killed and over 10 million people have been displaced.
