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Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman (‘Ali Kushayb’) Sentenced to 20 Years of Imprisonment
Today, 9 December 2025, Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “the Court”) (www.ICC-CPI.int) sentenced Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman (‘Ali Kushayb') to 20 years of imprisonment following the Trial Judgment (http://apo-opa.co/4rKFxAp) in which the Chamber found him guilty of 27 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Darfur, Sudan, between August 2003 and April 2004.
To determine this sentence, the Chamber considered the gravity of the crimes and the personal circumstances of the convicted person, and other factors, including the degree of participation, intent of the convicted person, and the harm caused to victims The Chamber also took into account some mitigating factors. The maximum penalty under the Rome Statute is 30 years of imprisonment, or life imprisonment when justified by the extreme gravity of the crime and the individual circumstances of the convicted person.
The period of his detention since 9 June 2020 will be deducted from the total time of imprisonment imposed on Abd-Al-Rahman.
Next Steps
The Prosecution and the Defence may appeal the sentence within 30 days. The Chamber also issued an order for submissions on reparations with the relevant timeline and guidance for this process in this case. Appeal proceedings against the trial judgment are pending at the moment.
Background
On 6 October 2025, Trial Chamber I found (http://apo-opa.co/4oLfiXY) Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman (‘Ali Kushayb') guilty of 27 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes, in Darfur, Sudan, between August 2003 and April 2004. On 6 November 2025, the Defence filed its notice of appeal (http://apo-opa.co/48FKBxc) against the conviction.
Public redacted version of Sentencing Judgment: http://apo-opa.co/44jjIhj
Summary of the decision: http://apo-opa.co/4rJesgU
Order for submissions on reparations: http://apo-opa.co/4oLfjeu
Photographs of the hearing: http://apo-opa.co/4rIYbbI
Audio-visual materials: http://apo-opa.co/4oLfnLg
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Criminal Court (ICC).For more information, please contact:
Public Affairs Unit
publicaffairs.unit@icc-cpi.int
For further information on this case,
please visit: https://apo-opa.co/48XUZlc
Sudan: United Nations (UN) chief condemns deadly strikes on children’s nursery, hospital
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As Sudan's civil war intensified on Monday, top UN officials condemned the killing of dozens of children in drone strikes in South Kordofan state – and the targeting of first responders trying to help the wounded.
In a statement issued by his Spokesperson, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that he was appalled to learn that multiple drone strikes on 4 December had hit a children's nursery and a hospital in Kalogi, where the injured were being treated.
Echoing those concerns, the head of UN World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that Kalogi Rural Hospital had been targeted at least three times, killing 114 people including 63 children.
Blood bank call
Survivors from those strikes have been moved to Abu Jebaiha Hospital in South Kordofan for treatment “and urgent calls are being made for blood donations and other medical support”, Tedros noted in a statement posted on X.
“Disturbingly, paramedics and responders came under attack as they tried to move the injured from the kindergarten to the hospital,” Tedros added.
On the same day as those attacks, an aid convoy was also targeted in North Kordofan state. It had been transporting lifesaving supplies to North Darfur when it came under fire, seriously injuring the driver of a UN World Food Programme (WFP) truck.
“The Secretary-General deplores this further attack on humanitarian operations at a time of dire needs,” the statement continued.
Suffering on a huge scale
Aid agencies warn that the situation across Sudan remains catastrophic for millions of people caught up in heavy fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
In the central Kordofan region in particular, dire conditions are worsening still as life-saving supplies run low, while famine conditions have been confirmed in South Kordofan's state capital, Kadugli.
“As fighting intensifies, the horrific human rights violations and abuses reported in El Fasher in recent months, as well as reports of serious violations of international humanitarian law, must not be repeated in the Kordofan region,” the UN chief's Spokesperson insisted.
And amid reports of continued foreign involvement in the Sudan conflict, “the Secretary-General calls on all States with influence over the parties to take immediate action and use their leverage to compel an immediate halt to the fighting and stop the arms flows” that are fuelling it, his Spokesperson's statement added.
“The Secretary-General renews his call on the parties to agree on an immediate cessation of hostilities and to resume talks to reach a lasting ceasefire and a comprehensive, inclusive and Sudanese-owned political process. The United Nations stands ready to support genuine steps to end the fighting in Sudan and chart a path towards a durable peace.”
UN rights chief's plea
The development comes after the UN's human rights chief, Volker Türk, said that he feared “another wave of atrocities” in Sudan.
Since late October, hundreds of civilians have been killed and tens of thousands more have fled aerial strikes, shelling and summary executions, he said, amid mass civilian displacement involving more than 45,000 people fleeing violence and seeking safety in or near to Kordofan region.
“Safe passage for those fleeing the horror of famine, death and destruction is essential and a human rights imperative,” the High Commissioner's office said.
In an appeal for “urgent diplomatic action” the WFP's Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau insisted that greater attention was needed to prevent further atrocities and help reverse famine.
More than 30 million people in Sudan now need humanitarian assistance and more than nine million have been displaced inside the country since fighting erupted in April 2023 between the SAF and paramilitary RSF.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN News.Chairperson of the African Union Commission on the reported attack on civilians in Kalogi, South Kordofan, Sudan
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The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, condemns in the strongest possible terms the horrific reported attacks in Kalogi, South Kordofan, in which more than 100 civilians, including dozens of women and children in a pre-school, who were reportedly killed. The deliberate targeting of children, educators, medical personnel, and civilians seeking to assist the wounded, as reported in media accounts, represents a flagrant violation of international humanitarian and human rights law.
The Chairperson is appalled by the repeated and escalating atrocities committed against civilians in the region and deeply concerned by reports of continued aerial bombardment, drone attacks, and assaults on vital civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and schools.
He calls for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire by all parties to halt the bloodshed, as well as the full protection of civilians — particularly children, women, and the elderly — in line with international law. He further urges unhindered humanitarian access to enable lifesaving assistance to reach affected communities, and stresses the need for accountability for all violations, calling for independent investigations to ensure that those responsible for these heinous acts are brought to justice.
The African Union stands in solidarity with the people of Sudan and reiterates its commitment to working with regional and international partners to prevent further atrocities and support a return to dialogue, peace, and stability.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Union (AU).