International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutors have asked judges to impose life imprisonment on Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, widely known as Ali Kushayb, following his conviction last month on 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The former Janjaweed commander was found guilty for his role in the 2003–2004 atrocities in Darfur, marking the ICC’s first conviction related to the conflict that killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions.

Abd-Al-Rahman, 76, was convicted on October 6 for leading systematic attacks in Wadi Salih and Mukjarab, including massacres, rapes, and the burning of villages during Sudan’s government-backed counterinsurgency against non-Arab rebels. Prosecutors highlighted the scale of the crimes, citing over 100 civilians killed in Kodoom and 32 women raped, arguing that his central role warrants the harshest penalty available. “Kushayb’s central role demands the severest sentence to reflect victims’ suffering,” lead prosecutor Beth Goldblatt told the court.

Defense lawyers, however, have requested a sentence of seven years, crediting time already served and citing Abd-Al-Rahman’s age and alleged cooperation. If accepted, this could lead to his release within 18 months. The trial, which began in 2020 after his surrender in Darfur in 2017, heard testimony from 56 witnesses, including survivors who described harrowing accounts of sexual violence and scorched-earth attacks.

The case stems from Sudan’s referral of the Darfur genocide to the ICC in 2005 and comes amid renewed violence in the region. Since April 2023, fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)—successors to the Janjaweed—has killed an estimated 40,000 people and displaced 12 million. The RSF’s recent capture of al-Fasher has drawn alarm from the United Nations, with reports of ongoing atrocities.

Judges are expected to deliver Abd-Al-Rahman’s sentence soon, which could become the ICC’s harshest penalty in an African case. Victims’ representatives welcomed the prosecution’s request, saying, “Life for Kushayb honors the dead.”