ICC indictee Ali Kushayb critically injured in attack in Nyala, South Darfur

Alleged war criminal and International Criminal Court (ICC) indictee, Ali Kushayb, has reportedly been critically injured in an attack by a lone gunman in the industrial zone of Nyala, capital of South Darfur. His driver and bodyguard died and another bodyguard was seriously injured in the attack. Kushayb’s injury has been confirmed by South Darfur governor, Major General Adam Mahmoud Jar Al Nabi, who said that the attack “by an individual” is a result of the poor security situation in the city. A worker from the area told Radio Dabanga that he saw Kushayb at about 10am on Sunday. He apparently came to the area to repair his vehicle that had been damaged in this week’s inter-militia violence in Nyala. “A man wearing traditional Darfuri garb with his face covered was walking behind him. We assumed it was his bodyguard. However, about 90 minutes later, we heard shooting. We rushed to the scene to find Kushayb and both of his bodyguards shot. Kushayb was bleeding from his shoulders. A woman who sells tea at the market was wounded in her legs.” The witness said that he also saw the person in traditional Darfur garb flee. Kushayb, his bodyguards, and the woman were rushed to the Police Hospital in Nyala. A medical source from within the hospital confirmed the death of one of the bodyguards, and that Kushayb himself was admitted with two bullet wounds to the shoulder area. Another witness then confirmed that Kushayb was seriously wounded, and has been transferred to a hospital in Khartoum. A witness from the industrial zone said that the shooting caused shops in the area, including the big market and the rest of the industrial zone, to shut-down as people fled to their homes for fear of renewed fighting. Kushayb is accused of committing murders, rapes and forcibly displacing thousands of people in Darfur. The ICC issued an arrest warrant for him in 2007. File photo: Ali Kushayb