Sudan's Darfur crisis: The International Criminal Court (ICC) will try war crimes suspects.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has launched the first trial for atrocities committed in Darfur, some 20 years after turmoil ravaged the Sudanese province.

Thirty-one accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity have been filed against a suspected former head of the pro-government Janjaweed militia.

The charges against Ali Muhammad Ali Abd al-Rahman are false.

The case has been dubbed "historic" by Sudanese human rights groups.

"[Tuesday] is a watershed moment for Darfur's victims and survivors who have never ceased striving to see the day when the cycle of impunity is broken," said Mossad Mohamed Ali, a human rights lawyer.  "We hope that Abd-al-trial Rahman would shed light on his guilt for the heinous crimes committed by him and the government-backed Janjaweed militias under his command, particularly sexual crimes," he added.

Mr...Abd-al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, is the first individual to face the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his role in a conflict that resulted in the deaths of 300,000 people and the displacement of over two million people.

Former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has escaped capture in the conflict thus far. He is wanted on suspicion of genocide and war crimes, which he denies. After being deposed in a coup in 2019, he is currently detained in Sudan.

After 13 years on the run, Mr. Abd-al-Rahman surrendered to the ICC in 2020.    Between August 2003 and March 2004, he is accused of taking part in attacks on civilians in four Darfur towns.

Dr. Adeeb Yousif, a former Darfur governor who was involved in Mr. Abd-al-probe Rahman's at the time, explained to the BBC why the Janjaweed leader should be in prison.

"I've witnessed firsthand what he did in central Darfur, including attacking communities, destroying villages, killing people, burning people, burning children, and rape of women and girls."

M.rAbd al-Rahman and militias under his direction are accused by the ICC of rape, torture, death, and pillaging.

"He is alleged to have carried out the Government of Sudan's counter-insurgency policy in Darfur, which culminated in the commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity," the ICC stated.

"He is also accused of enlisting fighters, arming, funding, and providing food and other supplies to the Janjaweed militia under his command," the statement continued.

Mr. Abd-al-Rahman said he was the victim of mistaken identity during earlier court appearances, according to the Reuters news agency.

The trial takes place while violence in Darfur has increased since a combined UN-African Union peacekeeping mission left the region more than a year ago.   Darfur's conflict began in 2003, when primarily non-Arabs took up arms against the government, protesting discrimination and a lack of development.

The government replied by sending in predominantly Arab militias known as the Janjaweed to combat the insurgents, causing widespread resentment.

Hundreds of villages were set ablaze and pillaged, prompting widespread claims of ethnic cleansing against civilians.