Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, on Tuesday received a joint sentence of 20 years in prison by the International Criminal Court, following his conviction on 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. 

Presiding Judge Joanna Korner said Abd-Al-Rahman "not only gave the orders that led directly to the crimes" in attacks that largely targeted members of the Fur tribe seen to support a rebellion against Sudanese authorities, he "also personally perpetrated some of them using an ax he carried in order to beat prisoners."

First ICC conviction for war crimes in Darfur

Abd-Al-Rahman was the first person convicted by the ICC for atrocities in Sudan's Darfur region. Judges ruled that crimes committed by the Janjaweed militia were part of a government plan to stamp out a rebellion there.

In the sentencing summary, Korner cited testimony from victims of the Janjaweed: "Days of torture began at sunrise and continued until forced displacement, brutal beatings, and rape, both inside homes and in public, in full view of the police. … Ali himself walked over the heads of people lying face down on the ground … Blood ran freely in the streets... there was no medical help, no treatment, no mercy."

Key facts about the conflict in Darfur

• Fighting began in Darfur in 2003, when mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms against the Sudanese government, accusing it of marginalizing the remote western region.
• The government mobilized Arab militias, known as the Janjaweed, to crush the rebellion.
• The UN has said 300,000 people were killed and 2.5 million more displaced.
• The US and human rights groups said the violence amounted to genocide.

Crimes were 'the stuff of nightmares'

Prosecutors had requested a life sentence for Abd-Al-Rahman and could appeal the sentence and renew their call for a life term.

"You literally have an axe murderer before you," Prosecutor Julian Nicholls had told the court. "This is the stuff of nightmares."

Abd-Al-Rahman's defense argued he was a victim of mistaken identity and that his age of 76 years meant any sentence longer than seven years would amount to a life term.

Abd-Al-Rahman fled Sudan for the Central African Republic in 2020 when a new government said it would cooperate with the ICC's investigation. He later surrendered to authorities, a move Korner said contributed to a lower sentence along with his age and good behavior while in detention. Abd-Al-Rahman's time in detention, both before and during his trial, will be deducted from the sentence.

The ICC, which tries individuals for the world's worst crimes, can impose a life sentence but has never done so.

Darfur again center of Sudan fighting

Renewed fighting broke out across Sudan in 2023 between the army and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, widely seen as successors to the Janjaweed.

Fighting in Darfur, particularly in the city of al-Fasher, has unleashed waves of ethnically driven killings and caused mass displacement.

The latest alleged atrocities "are part of a broader pattern of violence that has afflicted the entire Darfur region" and "may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity," the ICC said in a statement, noting that evidence could be used in future prosecutions.

Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez