Summary
The International Criminal Court (ICC) convicted Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, a former leader of Sudan's Janjaweed militia, for war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Darfur conflict between 2003 and 2004. This is the ICC's first conviction related to the Darfur violence, where mass killings and sexual abuse were part of a plan by Sudan's former government. Abd-Al-Rahman will be sentenced at a later date.
Key Facts
- Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman was a senior leader of the Janjaweed militia in Sudan.
- The ICC found him guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur in 2003-2004.
- This case marks the ICC's first conviction for crimes committed in Darfur.
- Abd-Al-Rahman was convicted of 27 counts, including mass killings and sexual violence.
- The crimes were part of a government-backed plan to stop a rebellion in Darfur's African ethnic groups.
- Abd-Al-Rahman claimed he was misidentified and will be sentenced later, with a possible life sentence.
- The conflict in Darfur lasted from 2003 to 2020, killing around 300,000 people and displacing 2.5 million.
- Omar al-Bashir, Sudan's former president, is also wanted by the ICC but reportedly remains in military custody.
