Darfur militia leader in ICC custody after arrest in Central Africa

A government source in Central African Republic said Kushayb was arrested in the northern town of Birao and sent on a plane to The Hague on Tuesday morning.Former Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir is also wanted by the ICC on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity for atrocities committed by pro-government forces in Darfur.

Darfur militia leader Ali Kushayb is in the custody of the International Criminal Court to face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity after surrendering to authorities in the Central African Republic, the ICC said on Tuesday.

Kushayb is the first Sudanese suspect to be transferred to the ICC. The court issued an arrest warrant for him in 2007, accusing him of murder, rape, and pillage in the western Sudanese region of Darfur between 2003 and 2004. Prosecutors say Kushayb was a commander of pro-government Janjaweed militias that led attacks on towns and villages that killed dozens of people.

The conflict in Darfur killed an estimated 200,000 people and drove 2.5 million from their homes. The United States said killings there amounted to a genocide. A government source in Central African Republic said Kushayb was arrested in the northern town of Birao and sent on a plane to The Hague on Tuesday morning.

Former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is also wanted by the ICC on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity for atrocities committed by pro-government forces in Darfur.