Alleged militia leader on trial at ICC’s first Darfur trial

By MIKE CORDER
Associated Press

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court says that an alleged leader of a Sudanese militia known as “devils on horseback” took a “strange glee” in his ruthless reputation during the Darfur conflict. Prosecutor Karim Khan made the comments Tuesday as the trial opened of 72-year-old Ali Muhammad Ali Abd–Al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb. He pleaded innocent to all 31 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The trial is taking place amid global condemnation of atrocities blamed on Russian forces in the Ukraine war and is a reminder that international courts can and do bring alleged perpetrators of crimes to justice, even if the painstaking process can be long and slow.