A Sudanese militia leader was found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Darfur region 20 years ago.

Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, was one of the leaders of the Janjaweed, a government-backed militia known for terrorizing Darfur, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people.

Kushayb, the first person to be indicted by the International Criminal Court in connection with crimes committed in Darfur, has argued that "I am not the one."

The conflict that lasted from 2003 to 2020 is one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters. Ethnic cleansing and genocide have been committed against non-Arab populations in the region.

Five years after the end of the previous crisis, Darfur has become a key battleground in another civil war.

Currently, fighting is taking place between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Response Force (RSF), a militia based in the Janjaweed.

During the Kushayb trial, survivors described how their villages were burned, men were slaughtered and women were forced into sexual slavery.

Presiding Judge Joanna Koerner said: "He directed, rather than encouraged, the killings, rapes and destruction committed by the Janjaweed."