The Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) expressed satisfaction with the verdict against Sudanese national Ali Muhammad Ali Abd al-Rahman, known as “Ali Kushayb”, who was convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Darfur region of western Sudan. The office described the ruling as a major milestone toward achieving justice, despite the continued impunity of senior figures responsible for the conflict, and called for the surrender of Omar al-Bashir, Ahmed Haroun, and Abdel Rahim Muhammad Hussein to face trial.
Julian Nichols, senior trial lawyer in the Office of the Prosecutor, said during an online press conference from ICC headquarters in The Hague, attended by Asharq Al-Awsat, that “the evidence proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused played a leading role in systematic attacks against civilians.” The court has scheduled November 17 for sentencing, with the potential punishment being life imprisonment.
Following the conviction, the Prosecutor’s Office issued a statement emphasizing the need to bring to justice those with outstanding arrest warrants. It noted that the charges for which Ali Abd al-Rahman was convicted are closely linked to those against Ahmed Haroun, though the prosecution clarified to journalists that Haroun remains a suspect and has not yet been convicted.
Meanwhile, Dahiro Saint Ana, Adviser on International Cooperation in the Prosecutor’s Office, revealed that a new investigation has been launched into recent crimes in West Darfur following the outbreak of fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023. He stressed that “the Court needs genuine cooperation from the Sudanese government to hand over suspects, as the ICC has no law enforcement power and relies on the cooperation of member states.”
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