[JURIST] A former Sudanese militia leader recently accused of war crimes by the International Criminal Court [official website] denied attacking Darfur [JURIST news archive] civilians or displacing refugees in an article published in Sudan's Al Intibaha newspaper Sunday. Ali Kushayb insisted he was assigned to the region only to protect the villagers from Arab militias.

Kushayb and Ahmed Muhammed Harun, former Interior Minister of Sudan, were the first individuals formally accused [JURIST report] by the ICC in its ongoing investigation [JURIST news archive] of the Darfur situation. ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo [official profile] accused [prosecutor's statement] the two men of war crimes against civilians in four towns in West Darfur between August 2003 and March 2004. If convicted, they face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. AP has more.