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The International Criminal Court judges handed down a 20-year prison sentence to a commander from the Sudanese Janjaweed group in Darfur. Muhammad Ali Abd Al-Rahman was found guilty of war crimes and offenses against humanity.

Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, also referred to as Ali Kushayb, was handed a combined 20-year prison term by the International Criminal Court on Tuesday, after hissentence on 27 charges of war crimes and offenses against humanity.

Presiding Judge Joanna Korner stated that Abd-Al-Rahman “was directly responsible for issuing the orders that resulted in the crimes,” which primarily targeted individuals from the Fur tribe who were believed to support an uprising against Sudanese government forces, and that he “personally carried out some of the attacks using an axe he had with him to strike detainees.”

In the sentencing summary, Korner referenced statements from victims of the Janjaweed: “The days of suffering started at dawn and went on until forced removal, severe beatings, and sexual assault, occurring both within homes and in public areas, with police present. … Ali personally stepped over individuals who were lying face down on the ground … Blood flowed openly through the streets… there was no medical assistance, no care, no compassion.”

First ICC verdict for war crimes in Darfur

Abd-Al-Rahman was the The first individual to be convicted by the International Criminal Court for crimes committed in Sudan’s Darfur areaJudges determined that offenses carried out by the Janjaweed militia were part of a governmental strategy to suppress a revolt in the region.

Important information regarding the conflict in Darfur

Conflict erupted in Darfur in 2003, as primarily non-Arab rebels launched an armed struggle against the Sudanese government, claiming it had neglected the remote western area. The government deployed Arab militias, referred to as the Janjaweed, to suppress the uprising. The United Nations reported that 300,000 individuals lost their lives and an additional 2.5 million were displaced. The United States and various human rights organizations described the violence as genocide.

Crimes were “the stuff of nightmares”

The prosecutors had asked for a life sentence for Abd-Al-Rahman and may appeal the ruling, reiterating their demand for a life term.

You truly are facing an axe murderer,” Prosecutor Julian Nicholls said to the court. “This is the stuff of nightmares.

Abd-Al-Rahman’s the defense claimed he was a victim of misidentificationand that his age of 76 years meant any sentence exceeding seven years would equate to a life term.

Abd-Al-Rahman left Sudan for the Central African Republic in 2020 after a new administration announced its willingness to assist the ICC’s inquiry. He thensurrendered to authorities, a decision that Korner stated helped result in a reduced sentence, taking into account his age and proper conduct during detention. The time Abd-Al-Rahman spent in custody, both prior to and throughout his trial, will be subtracted from his sentence.

The International Criminal Court, which prosecutes individuals for the most severe crimes globally, has the authority to impose a life sentence but has never exercised this option.

More fighting in Darfur

Fresh clashes erupted throughout Sudan in 2023 between the military and the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary organization considered to be the continuation of the Janjaweed.

Clashes in Darfur, especially within the city of al-Fasher, have led to widespread ethnic-based violence and significant population displacement.

The most recent claimed violations “are part of”a wider trend of aggressionwhich has impacted the whole Darfur area” and “could be considered as war crimes and crimes against humanity,” the ICC stated in a press release, adding that evidence might be utilized in upcoming legal actions.

Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez

Writer: Sean Sinico (with AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)