The International Criminal Court on Monday convicted Sudanese militia leader Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman of war crimes and crimes against humanity for brutal attacks in Darfur, marking the court’s first conviction related to the conflict. The Janjaweed chief was found guilty of multiple offenses, including rape, murder and torture committed between August 2003 and April 2004.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday convicted a feared Sudanese militia chief for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during brutal attacks in Darfur.

Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, also known by the nom de guerre Ali Kushayb, was convicted of multiple crimes including rape, murder and torture carried out between August 2003 and at least April 2004.

“The chamber is convinced that the accused is guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the crimes with which he has been charged,” said ICC president judge Joanna Korner.

The sentence will be pronounced at a later date, she said.

The bespectacled Abd-Al-Rahman, wearing a blue suit and waistcoat with a scarlet tie, followed the proceedings impassively, occasionally taking notes.

Korner detailed harrowing accounts of gang rapes, abuse, and mass killing.

She said that on one occasion, Abd-Al-Rahman loaded around 50 civilians onto trucks, beating some with axes, before making them lie on the ground and ordering his troops to shoot them dead.

“The accused was not only giving orders… but was personally involved in the beatings and later was physically present and giving orders for the execution of those detained,” said Korner.

Prosecutors had accused Abd-Al-Rahman of being a leading member of Sudan’s infamous Janjaweed militia, who participated “enthusiastically” in multiple war crimes.

But Abd-Al-Rahman, who was born around 1949, has denied all the charges, telling the court they have got the wrong man.

“I am not Ali Kushayb. I do not know this person… I have nothing to do with the accusations against me,” he told the court at a hearing in December 2024.