Sudanese militia leader jailed for 20 years for Darfur war crimes

Ali Muhammad Ali Abd al-Rahman has been jailed (Peter Dejong/AP)

Judges at the International Criminal Court have sentenced a leader of the Sudanese Janjaweed militia to 20 years in prison for crimes committed in the catastrophic conflict in Darfur more than 20 years ago.

At a hearing last month, prosecutors sought a life sentence for Ali Muhammad Ali Abd–Al-Rahman who was was convicted in October of 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity that included ordering mass executions and bludgeoning two prisoners to death with an axe in 2003-2004.