Peaceful marches swept through several internally displaced persons (IDP) camps across Darfur on Monday in support of the International Criminal Court’s case against Ali Kushayb, a militant commander accused of grave abuses in the region. Organisers said the actions reflect displaced peoples’ demand for justice and accountability after years of impunity.
In a statement, the coordinators described Kushayb — long seen as a close ally of former official Ahmed Haroun — as a central figure in killings, torture, rape and the targeting of community leaders. They said the mobilisations express the aspirations of IDPs and refugees for fair trials and for perpetrators to be held to account.
Large turnouts were reported in the Kalma, Otash, Hamidiya, Khamsa Dagaig, Nertiti, Tawila, Sortony, Golo and Kassab camps. The statement added that, due to security constraints, organisers will use alternative protest methods in camps such as Mukjar, Bendisi, Um Dukhun, Garsila, Deleig, Um Khair, Daqdasa and Qaldaymoug.
Solidarity actions also took place in refugee camps in eastern Chad, including Kirefi, Goz Beida, Goz Amir, Goz Jabal, Touloum, Farchana and Mile, where participants voiced support for impartial justice and rejected efforts to politicise or instrumentalise judicial processes.
Calling Kushayb’s conviction a significant step for international justice after years of evasion, the statement urged the ICC and the wider international community to exert pressure on the Port Sudan authorities to transfer remaining suspects to The Hague—chief among them former president Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir, former defence minister Abdel-Rahim Mohamed Hussein, and former governor Ahmed Mohamed Haroun.
“Justice is not up for negotiation,” the statement concluded. “We want to see the criminals in the dock before the ICC, to restore hope to victims and help heal the wounds of children, women, widows and the poor.”
