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International Criminal Court (ICC) judges handed a 20-year prison sentence to a commander from the Sudanese Janjaweed group on Tuesday. The conviction was for war crimes and offenses against humanity that occurred during the severe conflict in Darfur over 20 years ago.

During a session in The Hague last month, prosecutors requested a life imprisonment for Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, who was found guilty in October of 27 charges related to war crimes and crimes against humanity. These charges involved issuing orders for mass executions and striking two prisoners with an axe, resulting in their deaths between 2003 and 2004.

“He carried out these crimes intentionally, deliberately, and with, as the evidence indicates, eagerness and energy,” prosecutor Julian Nicholls said to the judges during the sentencing hearing in November.

Abd-Al-Rahman, 76 years old, stood and listened without showing any response as Presiding Judge Joanna Korner announced the verdict.

He received sentences varying from eight years to 20 years for each charge he was found guilty of, before the court applied a total combined sentence of 20 years.

She stated that Abd-Al-Rahman “was directly responsible for the orders that resulted in the crimes” during attacks primarily aimed at members of the Fur tribe who were believed to be backing a revolt against Sudanese authorities, and “he also carried out some of these acts himself using an axe he had with him to beat captives.”

The prosecution department of the court stated that its personnel would examine the sentencing ruling to determine if “additional steps should be taken.” The department may appeal the sentence and reiterate its demand for a life imprisonment.

The office mentioned in a written statement that it requested a life sentence “due to the severe nature of the crimes Mr. Abd-Al-Rahman was found guilty of — including murders, rapes, torture, and persecution, committed with a significant degree of brutality and violence as a direct offender, an accomplice, and by instructing others to carry out these acts.”

It mentioned that it also considered the high number of victims, which included at least 213 individuals who were killed, among them children, and 16 women and girls who were subjected to sexual violence.

Abd-Al-Rahman, also referred to as Ali Kushayb, is the first individual to be convicted by the International Criminal Court for crimes committed in Sudan’s Darfur region, where the trial judges determined that the actions of the Janjaweed were part of a government strategy to suppress an uprising.

The International Criminal Court typically imposes a maximum prison term of 30 years, although judges may increase this to life imprisonment in particularly severe cases. The time Abd-Al-Rahman spent in custody prior to and during his trial will be subtracted from his sentence.

The offenses committed by Abd-Al-Rahman occurred over two decades ago, yet conflict still affects Darfur, as Sudan remains divided by a civil war.

The ICC prosecutors are attempting to collect and safeguard evidence from a violent attack that occurred last month in a city under siege in the area.

The most recent reported atrocities in El-Fasher “are part of a larger pattern of violence that has affected the entire Darfur region,” and “could be considered war crimes and crimes against humanity,” stated the ICC, adding that evidence might be utilized in upcoming legal proceedings.

Sudan has been affected by civil war since 2023, following a conflict between the military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group that escalated into an armed struggle. The RSF originated from the Janjaweed militia.