ICC seeks life sentence for RSF commander over Darfur war crimes
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The International Criminal Court is seeking a life sentence for Ali Kushayb, a commander in the Rapid Support Forces, convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan's Darfur region.
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Ali Muhammad Ali Abd–Al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, attends a hearing at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, Oct. 6, 2025 (AP)
Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday urged the court to impose a life sentence on Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, known as Ali Kushayb, a commander in the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), for his role in atrocities committed during the assault in Sudan’s Darfur region.
Kushayb was found guilty of 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, torture, rape, and other serious offenses. The case marks the first successful ICC trial related to the war in Darfur.
Earlier this month, the ICC secured its first-ever conviction linked to atrocities committed in Darfur during the 2003–2004 conflict. Kushayb was found guilty of ordering mass executions and personally killing two prisoners with an axe.
Prosecutors highlight brutal acts committed in Darfur
Prosecutor Julian Nichols, speaking during a special sentencing hearing, exposed and blasted Kushayb as “literally a killer with an axe.” He stated that Kushayb personally used an axe to kill two people and was an “enthusiastic, active, and effective perpetrator of the abuses committed in the Darfur region more than 20 years ago.”
The prosecution emphasized the scale and gravity of the crimes, pointing to Kushayb’s role in mass atrocities during the early 2000s as evidence that he should receive the court’s harshest sentence.
Defense argues for seven-year sentence despite convictions
Despite the conviction, the defense is seeking a significantly reduced sentence. Lawyers for Abd-Al-Rahman, who have previously questioned the accuracy of his identification as Kushayb, are expected to present arguments later this week.
They have requested a maximum sentence of seven years, including time served, potentially allowing for his release within months.
Court documents revealed that the defense claims Kushayb is a victim of mistaken identity and that the charges were based on flawed evidence.
UN unanimously approves Sudan fact-finding mission to probe RSF crimes
In this context, the UN Human Rights Council has adopted by consensus a resolution for an independent UN fact-finding mission to investigate mass atrocities in El Fasher, Sudan, as the Darfur city fell to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
Following a special UNHRC session, the approved fact-finding mission would not only investigate the reported atrocities but also seek to identify the perpetrators of the violations allegedly committed by the Rapid Support Forces and their allies in El Fasher.
The draft text strongly condemned the reported ethnically motivated killings, as well as the use of rape as a weapon of war by the RSF and their allied forces in El Fasher.
Moreover, a member of the UN's Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan, Mona Rishmawi, disclosed examples of rape, killing, and torture and emphasized the requirement for a comprehensive investigation to establish the full picture.
Rishmawi said that RSF forces had "turned El-Fasher University into a killing ground" for thousands of sheltering civilians and that witnesses had also recounted seeing bodies piling in the streets, as well as trenches dug in and around the city.
Read more: Sudan calls on UN to blacklist Rapid Support Forces
