Former Janjaweed leader, Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman is the only person to be tried by the ICC over the Darfur conflict - Courtesy

The opening trial of the “former leader” of the Sudanese paramilitary group, the Janjaweed, has begun at the International Criminal Court in Hague.

Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman has become the first person to stand trial at the ICC for war crimes committed in Darfur region.

Also known as ‘Ali Kushayb’ – he was allegedly a senior Janjaweed commander who supported the Sudanese government against Darfur rebel groups during the Omar al-Bashir presidency.

Mr Abd-Al-Rahman was transferred to the ICC’s custody on 9 June 2020, after surrendering himself voluntarily in the Central African Republic.

The 72-year-old is suspected of having committed 31 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity between August 2003 and at least April 2004.

His defence team has, however, already argued that he is not the man the ICC is looking for.

The confirmation of charges hearing took place from 24 to 26 May 2021, while the opening of the trial against him begins today, 5 April 2022.

Another ICC wanted man – on charges of genocide and war crimes committed in Darfur – is former Sudan President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who is currently in prison in Khartoum after being deposed in 2019.

Background:

The BBC reports that conflict first erupted in Darfur in 2003 when mostly non-Arabs took up arms against the government, complaining about discrimination and a lack of development.

The government retaliated by mobilizing mostly Arab militias, known as the Janjaweed, to fight the rebels, unleashing violence that caused global outrage.

Hundreds of villages were burnt and pillaged, with widespread accusations of ethnic cleansing against the civilian population.