Ali Kushayb, the man accused of playing a leading role in war crimes and crimes against humanity in western Darfur on Monday pleaded not guilty to the charges before the International Criminal Court.
Appearing before the ICC a week after he handed himself in at the Central African Republic, Kushayb maintained that he had committed no crime in Darfur.
Ali Kushayb who faces a 50-count charge of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur surfaced in the Central African Republic where he surrendered to the ICC last week.
He is accused of taking an active role in the conflict in Darfur between 2000 and 2004, prompting an arrest warrant against him in 2007.
The conflict in Darfur led to the death of an estimated 300,000 people and the displacement of millions more.
Sudan’s ousted president Omar al-Bashir also faces war crimes charges by the ICC.
The new authorities in Khartoum are ambivalent about handing him over to the ICC for trial.
WN/as/APA