militia

Oct. 6 (UPI) — The International Criminal Court convicted Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman for committing human rights atrocities as the infamous leader of the Sudanese militia known as the Janjaweed.

Prosecutors hailed the conviction of Abd-Al-Rahman, also known by his nom de guerre Ali Kushayb, as the first verdict against a militia leader for waging a brutal campaign of ethnically motivated violence two decades ago against the civilian population in Sudan’s Darfur region.

The conflict in Darfur is considered the first genocide of the 21st century and unfolded between 2003 and 2020, when ethnic-based rebel groups took up arms against Sudan’s autocratic government. In response, the Sudanese government unleashed its own militias including the Janjaweed, whose name means “devils on horseback.”

The United Nations estimates that roughly 300,000 people died and another 400,000 were forced to flee to neighboring Chad.

The panel of judges overseeing the case in The Hague found that Al-Rahman was responsible for overseeing thousands of government-allied forces that carried out mass executions, torture and the burning and pillaging of entire villages.

“The conviction of Mr Abd-Al-Rahman is a crucial step towards closing the impunity gap in Darfur,” Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan said in a statement. “It sends a resounding message to perpetrators of atrocities in Sudan, both past and present, that justice will prevail, and that they will be held accountable for inflicting unspeakable suffering on Darfuri civilians, men, women and children.”

First charged in 2007, Al-Rahman was on the run for 13 years before surrendering to authorities in the Central African Republic. He has denied the charges and his defense argued during the trial that he had been misidentified.

The court’s prosecutors are still pursuing warrants against Sudan’s former President Omar al-Bashir, former Interior Minister Ahmad Harun and ex-Defense Minister Abdel Raheem Hussein.

Tigere Chagutah, a regional director for Amnesty International, said in a statement following the verdict that the conviction should serve as a warning to those involved in the current conflict in Sudan, where the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces is accused of committing genocide.

“This long overdue verdict goes some way in providing justice for the victims of Ali Kushayb and should serve as a significant milestone in the pursuit of justice for crimes committed in Darfur more than two-decades ago,” Chagutah said.

The International Criminal Court has found Sudanese militia chief Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman guilty of war crimes committed during Sudan’s Darfur conflict more than two decades ago. He was accused of playing a crucial role in the atrocities that killed hundreds of thousands of people.

GOMA, Congo — President Trump claims that the war in eastern Congo is among the ones he has stopped, after brokering a peace deal between Congo and Rwanda in June. But residents, conflict researchers and others say that’s not true.

Trump on Monday repeated claims that he ended the decadeslong conflict, describing Congo as the “darkest, deepest” part of Africa. “For 35 years, it was a vicious war. Nine million people were killed with machetes. I stopped it. … I got it stopped and saved lots of lives,” he asserted.

The Associated Press previously fact-checked Trump’s claim and found the war far from over. Now residents report clashes in several hot spots, often between the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels who seized key cities earlier this year and militia fighting alongside Congolese forces.

A final peace deal between Congo and the rebels, facilitated by Qatar, appears to have stalled. Each side has accused the other of violating peace terms.

Here’s what people say about Trump’s latest claim:

An inspector says people are still being displaced

The local human rights inspector in South Kivu province’s Kabare territory, Ciruza Mushenzi Dieudonné, said residents in the communities of Bugobe, Cirunga, Kagami and Bushwira continue to flee clashes between the M23 rebels and the Wazalendo militia.

“The problem now is that we do not have humanitarian assistance, hospitals operate during the day and health professionals find refuge elsewhere at night to escape the insecurity,” Dieudonné said.

Amnesty International says clashes reported this week

Christian Rumu with Amnesty International said the rights group learned of clashes during the past 24 hours in various locations. “It is far from the reality to say that he has ended the war,” he said of Trump.

“The U.S. president is misguided in his assessment because people on the ground continue to experience grave human rights violations, and some of these amount to crimes against humanity,” Rumu said, urging Trump to speed up the peace process.

A student says fighting has continued

Amani Safari, a student in Goma, the city first seized by the M23 and most affected by the fighting, said nothing has changed since the peace deal was signed in June.

“Unfortunately, when you look at this agreement, there are no binding sanctions against the two countries that violate it,” Safari said. “The United States only sees American interests.”

An activist in Goma says Trump needs to do more

Espoir Muhinuka, an activist in Goma, said there is no sign the war will end soon and urged Trump to take steps to achieve the permanent ceasefire the peace deal provided for.

“If this does not happen, it would deceive all of humanity,” Muhinuka said.

Civil society leader says residents are losing hope of peace

The president of civil society in North Kivu province, John Banyene, said he and other residents are losing hope of permanent peace.

“The killings, the displacement of the population and the clashes continue, therefore, we are still in disarray,” Banyene said. “We, as civil society, encourage this dialogue, but it drags on.”

Analyst says peace efforts appear to have stalled

Christian Moleka, a Congo-based political analyst, said the peace deal brokered by Trump initially helped to facilitate the peace process, but Congo and the M23 missed a deadline to sign a final peace agreement.

“For a conflict that combines the complexities of the structural weaknesses of the Congolese state, local identity and land conflicts, and the fallout of crises in neighboring countries … Trump’s approach may appear as a truce rather than a definitive settlement,” Moleka said.

Asadu and Kabumba write for the Associated Press. Asadu reported from Dakar, Senegal. Janvier Barhahiga in Bukavu, Congo contributed to this report.

July 9 (UPI) — Canadian authorities have arrested four men, including active military members, on accusations of forming an anti-government militia that sought to seize land in Quebec City.

No information about motive or ideology was released by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police when it announced the arrests in a statement Tuesday.

Three of the suspects — Marc-Aurele Chabot, 24, Simon Angers-Audet, 24, and Raphael Lagace — are accused of taking “concerte actions to facilitate terrorist activity,” a charge punishable with up to 14 years in prison.

According to the RCMP, Chabot, Angers-Audet and Lagace have been accused of planning to create an anti-government militia, for which they participated in military-style training, including shooting, ambush, survival and navigation exercises, involving firearms, some of which are banned.

A fourth suspect, Matthew Forbes, 33, faces a slew of charges, including possession of firearms, prohibited devices and explosives and related offenses.

All four men are from the province of Quebec.

The arrests follow searches conducted in Quebec City in January 2024 that uncovered 16 explosive devices, 11,000 rounds of ammunition, nearly 130 magazines and 83 firearms and accessories. Four pairs of night vision goggles and other military equipment were also seized.

Images released by the RCMP include a screenshot of an Instagram account that Canadian authorities said one of the suspect’s alleged used to recruit new members. Other released photos included several displaying the large cache of firearms seized and one of the men in tactical gear appearing to be undergoing training.

The Canadian Armed Forces confirmed in a statement that two active military members were among the four arrested and charged.

RCMP Staff Sgt. Camille Habel told CBC News that their investigation into the men dates back to the spring of 2023, but that the militant group dates back to at least 2021.

Without going into specifics concerning what the group’s intention was with the Quebec City land they intended to seize, Habel said, “in that ideology in general, quite often we would see a desire to create a new society, a desire to live by different values and wanting to change or create some kind of chaos so that they could take over society to created it and live it the way that they want.”

She added that they know more than just the four people arrested are interested in this unspecified ideology, which, she said, “is an issue in Canada right now.”

“It is not a case that will fix the problem,” she said. “It is really a societal problem.”