The International Criminal Court has confirmed the charges against one of the prominent former leaders of the Janjaweed, known as "Ali Kushayb," for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Second Pre-Trial Chamber of the court unanimously approved the referral of Ali Muhammad Ali Abd al-Rahman to trial before a Trial Chamber, where he will face 31 charges.
The chamber concluded that "there are substantial grounds to believe that Abd al-Rahman is responsible for the crimes included in the 31 charges against him, which relate to war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed between August 2003 and April 2004, at least in Kodoom, Bindis, Mornay, Daliq, and neighboring areas in Darfur, Sudan."
According to "SUNA" agency, these crimes include:
- War crimes such as intentionally directing attacks against civilians, murder and attempted murder, rape and looting, assaults on personal dignity, torture and inhumane treatment, destruction of personal property and seizure of it.
- Crimes against humanity including murder and attempted murder, rape, other inhumane acts, forced displacement of populations, persecution, and torture.
The decision to adopt the charges cannot be appealed except with prior permission from the Second Pre-Trial Chamber. Kushayb was transferred to the International Criminal Court on June 9, 2020, after voluntarily surrendering in the Central African Republic. His first appearance before the court took place on June 15, 2020, followed by a hearing on the adoption of the charges from May 24 to 26, 2021.
