The International Criminal Court will deliver its ruling in the case of Ali Muhammad Ali Abd al Rahman, known as Ali Kushayb, on Tuesday, 9 December 2025, at 9:30 a.m.
The session will be held publicly in the main courtroom in The Hague, where judges of the First Pre Trial Chamber are expected to announce his sentence after months of arguments and testimony from victims and experts.
Kushayb, a former Janjaweed militia leader, was convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur, marking the first conviction of its kind related to the long running conflict that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.
He surrendered to the ICC in 2020, shortly after the fall of former Sudanese President Omar al Bashir, after more than 12 years evading arrest. The upcoming verdict will determine his sentence, which remains open to appeal. A reparations process for victims is also expected to begin.
Legal specialists note that the conviction represents several milestones for international justice. It is the ICC’s first ruling in the Darfur situation, the first conviction from a case referred by the UN Security Council under Resolution 1593 of 2005, and the court’s first conviction for gender based persecution.
The ruling is being closely watched by victims, legal groups, human rights organisations and international observers, who regard it as a significant step toward accountability for atrocities committed during the Darfur conflict.
