On Monday, May 24, in The Hague, the confirmation of the allegations in the case of the ICC and Muhamad Abd Al Rahman, alias Ali Kushayb, a former leader of the Janjaweed militia, will open. Accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Darfur in 2003 and 2004.
as reported from The Hague, Stephanie Maupas
Muhamad Abd Al Rahman had surrendered voluntarily in Bangui, Central African Republic, in June 2020, before being transferred to The Hague, at the ICC headquarters. The court was seized for crimes committed in Darfur by the UN Security Council in 2005.
For the prosecution, he is an important link in the “criminal plan” led by the head of the Sudanese state. In 2003 and 2004, Mujahideen Abd Al Rahman, the leader of the Janjaweed, was named after these militias consisting of soldiers from Arab tribes, orders, economics and armaments directly from Khartoum.
“Clean the area”
You have to “clean the area”, “sweep”, “crush”, “burn everything” says to him Ahmed Harun, former Minister who is also addressed to the Court. Hundreds of civilians are killed by militiamen on horseback, many women are raped and thousands are displaced.
For the prosecutor, the challenge will be to convince the judges to send ex-boss Janjawid to trial. The purpose of confirming the allegations is to determine whether the evidence is sufficiently substantiated to prosecute Ali Kushayb. It was postponed twice. Especially because the prosecutor had asked for time to protect witnesses. Time also to make an agreement with the transitional government in Khartoum, mid-February. It ends 14 years of opposition to the court. But cooperation still remains limited.
At the moment, the four other suspects claimed by prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, among whom the ousted president Omar al-Bashir, has still not been referred to court.
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