ISTANBUL

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday handed former Sudanese militia leader Ali Muhammad Ali Abd al-Rahman, known as Ali Kushayb, a joint sentence of 20 years for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Darfur in 2003-2004.

The ICC unanimously imposed a 20-year joint prison sentence on Abd al-Rahman after he was found guilty on Oct. 6 of 27 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Darfur, Sudan, between August 2003 and April 2004.

The court noted that the chamber would have imposed a higher sentence were it not for mitigating factors — such as his age, good conduct in detention and during trial, and his voluntary surrender to the court — while stressing that it gave these factors “only limited weight” in determining the appropriate sentence.

It further noted that the time Abd al-Rahman has spent in detention — from the date of his surrender on June 9, 2020, until the date of the judgment — will be deducted from his sentence.

In October 2025, the ICC found him guilty of 27 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Darfur in 2003-2004.

The court unanimously convicted Kushayb on 31 counts, including attacks against civilians, murder, torture, rape, pillaging, destruction of property, persecution, and forcible transfer of population.

The crimes were committed during the Kodoom and Bindisi operations, as well as other related military campaigns.

It came after the ICC confirmed charges in 2021 against the Janjaweed militia leader after he was transferred to the ICC's custody on June 9, 2020, upon surrendering himself voluntarily in the Central African Republic.

Darfur was the scene of a ferocious war between the Sudanese government and three rebel movements since 2003. The conflict has left 300,000 people dead and around 2.5 million others displaced, according to UN figures.