Darfur war: victims' lawyers speak out at the trial of alleged former Janjaweed militiaman
Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, an alleged former Janjaweed militia leader, has been on trial since 5 April 2022 at the International Criminal Court (ICPI) in The Hague, the Netherlands. He is suspected of 31 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed between August 2003 and at least April 2004 in Darfur, Sudan. On June 5, 2023, victims' lawyers speak out in this case.
Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, during a hearing to confirm allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the 2003-04 Darfur conflict, in The Hague, May 24, 2021. AFP--
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With our correspondent in The Hague, Stéphanie Maupas
A new step in the trial of an ex-Janjaweed before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands: Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman is being prosecuted for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in 2003 and 2004 in Darfur. At the time, he commanded a group of Janjaweed paramilitaries, according to the prosecution.
Since the trial began in April 2022, the prosecutor has presented 56 witnesses. The floor is now given to the victims' lawyers.
>> READ ALSO: Darfur war: the ICC looks into the role of the Janjaweed
In all, nearly 600 victims are represented by lawyers in this case. A drop in the ocean, compared to the millions of individuals victims of this conflict: this is what their lawyers write in a brief filed before the judges.
During the hearings that open on June 5, 2023, two victims and a witness will testify in front of the three magistrates. One of these victims will be heard by videoconference from Canada. The other two witnesses came from Chad.
Finally, two other victims, who live in camps for internally displaced persons in Darfur, will not be able to come to The Hague, at least immediately.
Over the past two months, their lawyer had warned the judges of the difficulties with the resumption of war in Sudan.
The 600 victims represented in the case are anonymous
The 600 victims represented in the case are anonymous for security reasons, the court said. Some of them have been subjected to rape, often gang rape, perpetrated by paramilitaries. Others were tortured.
During attacks by the Sudanese army and the Janjaweed, residents had to flee and are still suffering from exile today, 20 years after the incident.
If Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman is found guilty at the end of this trial, which could last more than a year, the victims will be able to seek reparations. But the ICC process is extremely lengthy.
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