The International Criminal Court (ICC) has sentenced former Sudanese Janjaweed militia commander Ali Mohamed Ali Abdelrahman (known as Ali Kushayb) to 20 years in prison, after convicting him of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur.
The ruling follows his conviction on 27 counts, including rape, murder, torture and the mass execution of civilians during attacks carried out by militias and government forces between 2003 and 2004.
The case marks the first referral ever made by the UN Security Council to the ICC, and the Court’s first conviction for gender-based persecution crimes.
The decision was based on an extensive investigation launched in 2005, which included interviews with 81 witnesses and the review of more than 1,500 documents.
The Court’s deputy prosecutor previously described the conviction as a critical milestone in delivering justice for Darfur’s victims and breaking the culture of impunity.
