THE HAGUE: Longtime fugitive militiaman Ali Kushayb has turned himself in to the International Criminal Court, where he is facing war crimes charges for his role in Sudan’s Darfur conflict, the ICC announced Tuesday.
Kushayb, around 63, also known as Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, is wanted on 50 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed between 2002-2004 in Sudan’s western Darfur region.
“Ali Kushayb is in the custody of the ICC after surrendering himself voluntarily in the Central African Republic on account of an ICC arrest warrant issued on 27 April 2007,” the Hague-based court said in a statement.
ICC prosecutors say Kushayb was a senior commander in the notorious Janjaweed militia during the fighting, which erupted in 2003 when ethnic African rebels took up arms against Khartoum’s then Arab-dominated government, lead by the now-ousted Omar Al-Bashir.
The rebels say they suffered racial discrimination, marginalization and exclusion in one of the country’s poorest regions.
But Khartoum responded by unleashing the Janjaweed, a group of mostly Arab raiding nomads, recruited and armed to create a militia of gunmen who often mounted horses or camels.
They have been accused of applying a scorched earth policy against ethnic groups suspected of supporting the rebels, raping, killing, looting and burning villages.
Their terror campaign saw the ICC issue arrest warrants against Kushayb in 2007 and Bashir in 2009 and 2010.
About 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced in the conflict, the United Nations says.
Thousands of peacekeeping troops from a joint UN-African Union mission were deployed in 2007 to curb the conflict, but their numbers have been gradually reduced since mid-2018 as the conflict has subsided.
An independent tribunal, the ICC was set up in 2002 to deal with the world’s worst crimes which also includes genocide.
Darfur war crimes fugitive Ali Kushayb in ICC custody: court
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Darfur war crimes fugitive Ali Kushayb in ICC custody: court
- Kushayb is charged with 50 crimes against humanity and war crimes
- He surrendered to authorities in a remote corner of northern Central African Republic
Lebanon warns Israeli violations threaten stability as UN peacekeepers enter final phase of mission
- UN envoy accuses Israel of jeopardizing ‘hard-won progress’ by undermining Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity through airstrikes and border violations
- He says Lebanon’s army commander has presented to ministers his second progress report on a plan to extend state authority country-wide and limit weapons to state control
NEW YORK CITY: Lebanon has warned that Israeli airstrikes and border violations risk undermining progress toward achieving stability in southern Lebanon, as the UN peacekeeping mission in the country begins preparations for its withdrawal.
Speaking before the UN General Assembly’s Fourth Committee, Lebanon’s permanent representative to the organization, Ahmad Arafa, welcomed the recent renewal of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon’s mandate under Security Council Resolution 2790. This authorized the extension of the force’s operations until Dec. 31, 2026, followed by an “orderly, safe and coordinated” drawdown within a year.
“The Lebanese Armed Forces have been working tirelessly to ensure full implementation of Resolution 1701,” Arafa said, referring to the 2006 resolution that ended the war that year between Israel and Hezbollah.
It calls for the disarmament of all militias in Lebanon, including Hezbollah. The US has consistently pressured Lebanese authorities to disarm the group, designating it a terrorist organization.
The November 2024 ceasefire deal with Israel also requires Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah and establish a state monopoly on arms. The agreement states that only state security forces should bear arms, which is interpreted by Israel and others as requiring the full disarmament of Hezbollah. The group insists it applies only to southern Lebanon.
Arafa said the commander of the Lebanese army has presented to the Council of Ministers his second progress report on a plan to extend state authority throughout the country and confine possession of weapons to legitimate state institutions.
However, he accused Israel of jeopardizing the “hard-won progress” that has been made, through what he described as ongoing violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, including airstrikes, the continued occupation of Lebanese territory, and the creation of “so-called buffer zones.”
UNIFIL spokesperson Dany Ghafri said last week that Israel had carried out more than 7,000 airspace violations since the cessation of hostilities in November last year, Arafa noted. UNIFIL has warned that the airstrikes breach Resolution 1701, “threaten the safety of civilians, and undermine progress toward a political and diplomatic solution,” he added
Lebanon also condemned Israeli attacks on UNIFIL personnel and positions, describing them as “a blatant violation of international law.”
Arafa expressed gratitude to the leadership of the UN force, and the countries that contribute troops, for their “dedication and sacrifice” since the mission was established in 1978. He called for the avoidance of any “security vacuum” during the upcoming transitional period, while maintaining stability and respect for Lebanon’s sovereignty.
