Barbara Platt-Usher

This is Ali Mohamed Ali Abderrahman, also known as Ali Khushaib.

This is the first ever conviction by the International Criminal Court for crimes committed in Darfur.

Not in this war, as you said, but more than 20 years ago when you had the Darfur genocide.

So this was carried out in part by a militia made up of Arab tribesmen known as the Janjuweed.

They were armed.

and basically put into action by the military ruler at the time, Omar al-Bashir, and they carried out mass killings and atrocities.

That was more than 20 years ago.

This is the first time there's been a conviction.

But it does have resonance today because the rapid support forces, which is the paramilitary force involved in the civil war,

evolved out of the Janjaweed.

And the kind of atrocities allegedly carried out by some of its fighters in the past two years seem to be following the same playbook as the Janjaweed, mass killings on ethnic grounds, rape, burning of villages, and so on.

A string of victims across the US stretching from coast to coast.

The amount of victims in such a short time was unbelievable.

Real people losing real money by the criminals, the ghosts.

I'm in the central square here in Damascus. It's absolutely packed with people celebrating, waving rebel flags. Now I think thinking they're the Syrian flags, singing and chanting. Young men, of course, but also young women, families, children, just savoring their freedom after decades of oppression by an authoritarian regime. And this is happening all over the country, this kind of celebration.

I'm in the central square here in Damascus. It's absolutely packed with people celebrating, waving rebel flags. Now I think thinking they're the Syrian flags, singing and chanting. Young men, of course, but also young women, families, children, just savoring their freedom after decades of oppression by an authoritarian regime. And this is happening all over the country, this kind of celebration.

And how do you feel about today?

And how do you feel about today?

Without any fear.

Without any fear.