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| Ali Kushayb: Sudan militia leader convicted of war crimes in Darfur | Ali Kushayb: Sudan militia leader convicted of war crimes in Darfur |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| A Sudanese militia leader has been found guilty of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity more than 20 years ago in the Darfur region. | A Sudanese militia leader has been found guilty of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity more than 20 years ago in the Darfur region. |
| Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, led the Janjaweed, a government-backed group that terrorised Darfur, killing hundreds of thousands of people. | Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, led the Janjaweed, a government-backed group that terrorised Darfur, killing hundreds of thousands of people. |
| Kushayb is the first person to be tried by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the atrocities in Darfur. He had argued it was a case of mistaken identity. | Kushayb is the first person to be tried by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the atrocities in Darfur. He had argued it was a case of mistaken identity. |
| The conflict lasted from 2003 to 2020 and was one of the world's gravest humanitarian disasters. | The conflict lasted from 2003 to 2020 and was one of the world's gravest humanitarian disasters. |
| Five years after the end of that crisis, Darfur is a key battleground in another civil war, this time between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), whose origins lie in the Janjaweed. | |
| During Kushayb's trial, survivors described how their villages were burned down, men and boys slaughtered and women forced into sex slavery. | |
| The militia leader was found guilty on 27 counts, centring on attacks committed between 2003 and 2004. | |
| Judges at the ICC found the Janjaweed's brutal tactics - including mass executions, sexual violence and torture - were often inflicted by Kushayb and his men. | Judges at the ICC found the Janjaweed's brutal tactics - including mass executions, sexual violence and torture - were often inflicted by Kushayb and his men. |
| Ahead of the verdict, a small group of Darfuris waited patiently to enter the court, in the Dutch city of The Hague. | Ahead of the verdict, a small group of Darfuris waited patiently to enter the court, in the Dutch city of The Hague. |
| They were in no doubt about the pivotal role Kushayb played in their suffering, with one man saying: "He was the one who gave the orders. He was the one who got the weapons. | They were in no doubt about the pivotal role Kushayb played in their suffering, with one man saying: "He was the one who gave the orders. He was the one who got the weapons. |
| "So if you ask me if he was important in Darfur, I will you tell you he was one of the most important ones." | "So if you ask me if he was important in Darfur, I will you tell you he was one of the most important ones." |
| The Darfur war began after the Arab-dominated government at the time armed the Janjaweed, in an attempt to suppress an uprising by rebels from black African ethnic groups. | |
| The Janjaweed systematically attacked non-Arab villagers accused of supporting the rebels, leading to accusations of genocide. | |
| That same systematic violence is still happening in Darfur as part of the Sudan's civil war. | |
| Many of the Janjaweed fighters have morphed into the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary group that is currently battling Sudan's army. | |
| The UK, US and rights groups have accused the RSF of carrying out ethnic cleansing against non-Arab communities in Darfur since the conflict began in 2023. | |
| Kushayb will be sentenced at a later date. | |
| More BBC stories about Sudan: | More BBC stories about Sudan: |
| BBC hears of horror and hunger in rare visit to Darfur massacre town | BBC hears of horror and hunger in rare visit to Darfur massacre town |
| Return of the feared Janjaweed | Return of the feared Janjaweed |
| Sudan war: A simple guide to what is happening | Sudan war: A simple guide to what is happening |
| Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent. | Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent. |
| Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica | Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica |