More than 20 years after atrocities devastated Sudan’s Darfur region, the International Criminal Court has given a 20-year prison sentence to a former Janjaweed militia leader.
Judges on Tuesday sentenced Ali Muhammad Ali Abd Al Rahman for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the early 2000s conflict. The ruling followed his conviction in October on 27 counts linked to brutal attacks carried out in 2003 and 2004.
Prosecutors had pressed the court to impose a life sentence, arguing that the scale and cruelty of the crimes warranted the harshest possible penalty.
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“He committed these crimes knowingly, willfully, and with, the evidence shows, enthusiasm and vigor,” prosecutor Julian Nicholls told the court during the sentencing hearing in November.
Abd Al Rahman, 76, remained expressionless as Presiding Judge Joanna Korner delivered the verdict. He received individual sentences ranging from eight to 20 years for the various convictions, which were then combined into a single joint sentence of 20 years.
In explaining the ruling, Korner said Abd Al Rahman “not only gave the orders that led directly to the crimes” during attacks largely aimed at members of the Fur community, who were accused of backing a rebellion against Sudan’s government. She added that he “also personally perpetrated some of them using an ax he carried in order to beat prisoners.”
The Office of the Prosecutor said it would review the sentencing decision before determining whether to pursue an appeal, leaving open the possibility of renewing its request for a life term.
In a written statement, the office said it sought a life sentence “owing to the extreme gravity of the crimes Mr. Abd Al Rahman was convicted of — murders, rapes, torture, persecution and other crimes carried out with a high level of cruelty and violence as a direct perpetrator, as a co perpetrator and for ordering others to commit such crimes.”
Prosecutors said their assessment also reflected the number of victims, including at least 213 people who were killed, among them children, as well as 16 women and girls who were raped.
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Abd Al Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, is the first individual convicted by the ICC for crimes committed in Darfur. Trial judges found that the Janjaweed campaign formed part of a broader state strategy to crush rebellion in the region.
While the ICC’s statute allows for sentences of up to 30 years, judges may impose life imprisonment in cases deemed exceptionally grave. The time Abd Al Rahman has already spent in custody will be deducted from his sentence.
Although the crimes addressed in the case date back more than two decades, Darfur remains gripped by violence amid Sudan’s ongoing civil war. ICC prosecutors said they are currently working to collect and safeguard evidence from a deadly assault last month in the besieged city of el Fasher.
The court said the alleged abuses in the famine-stricken city “are part of a broader pattern of violence that has afflicted the entire Darfur region” and “may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity,” noting that the material gathered could support future cases.
Korner said the sentence also served a broader purpose beyond punishment, AP reported.
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“Deterrence is particularly apposite in this case given the current state of affairs in Sudan,” she said.
