ICC sentences Sudan Janjaweed leader Ali Kushayb to 20 years for Darfur atrocities

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has sentenced former Janjaweed commander Ali Muhammad Ali Abdelrahman, known as ‘Ali Kushayb’ and feared in Darfur as the “Colonel of Colonels” to 20 years in prison for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in 2003–2004. The sentence, handed down on today in The Hague, follows his October conviction on 27 counts, including murder, torture, persecution, rape, and the forcible displacement of civilians.

Judges found him guilty “beyond reasonable doubt” for directing and personally carrying out attacks on non-Arab communities during some of the bloodiest months of the Darfur conflict.

Presiding Judge Joanna Korner said Kushayb not only issued the orders that fuelled mass violence but “personally perpetrated” several of the crimes. His role as a senior Janjaweed commander placed him at the centre of atrocities that devastated villages across West Darfur.

During the previous sentencing hearings, ICC prosecutors pressed for a life sentence, arguing that Kushayb’s brutality, including killing two people with an axe, warranted the Court’s harshest penalty. Prosecutor Julian Nicholls described him as a central architect of the campaign of terror unleashed more than 20 years ago.

The defence, by contrast, demanded a maximum term of seven years, which would have enabled his release within months after crediting time served. Kushayb, now 76-years-old, denied responsibility throughout the trial, claiming mistaken identity.

The Chamber ultimately imposed a 20-year term, citing the gravity of the crimes while acknowledging limited mitigating factors. His pre-trial detention since June 9, 2020, after he voluntarily surrendered to authorities in the Central African Republic, will be deducted.

Kushayb’s conviction marked the ICC’s first successful trial related to the Darfur conflict, where the Janjaweed militia, backed by the former Sudanese government, stands accused of widespread massacres and ethnic cleansing.

On February 22, 2020, activists reported that in fear of arrest by the transitional government, Kushayb fled his residence in Rahad El Berdi in South Darfur, accompanied by several armed men, and was seen moving to Um Dafug locality where he crossed the border into the Central African Republic. He was subsequently flown directly to the Netherlands and taken into ICC custody.

Kushayb was long sought alongside ousted President Omar Al Bashir, former Defence Minister Abdelrahim Mohamed Hussein, and ex-Interior Minister Ahmed Haroun, all wanted for similar crimes.

Both the Defence and Prosecution have 30 days to appeal the sentence. The Chamber has also opened the door for submissions on reparations for victims as proceedings move into their next phase.

Read the full in-court summary of the decision here: Summary of Trial Chamber I’s Sentencing Judgment in the Case of The Prosecutor v. Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman (‘Ali Kushayb’), issued on 9 December 2025.