Ahmed Haroun

Alleged criminal activity in Darfur Haroun allegedly recruited, funded and armed the Janjaweed militia, and incited numerous attacks against civilian populations.

Forces under his command have been accused on targeting the towns of Kodoom, Bindisi, Mukjar, Arawala and surrounding areas during 2003 and 2004, even though these towns were apparently devoid of rebel presence and the civilian population was not taking part in hostilities. Haroun has denied the accusations, and was quoted as saying the violence "never happened in the first place." Haroun was reported as having said that since the "children of the Fur had become rebels, 'all the Fur' had become 'booty' for the Janjaweed." After his speech, the Janjaweed militia, under the command of Ali Kushayb, looted the towns between Bindisi and Mukjar, and terrorized civilians.

In August 2003, Haroun was further accused of the forcible transfer of about 20,000 civilians, primarily Fur people, from the Kodoom villages and surrounding areas. Haroun was also accused of pressuring displaced persons to leave displacement camps, and in doing so placed women and children at risk of attacks and malnutrition.

The ICC warrants and their aftermath On 27 April 2007, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Ahmad Muhammad Haroun, charging him with 20 counts of crimes against humanity and 22 counts of war crimes. He is accused of recruiting, funding and arming the Janjaweed militia. The Janjaweed attacked civilians and pillaged towns and villages during counterinsurgency attacks.

From April 2003 until September 2005, Haroun was Minister of State as well as head of the "Darfur Security Desk," and from 2006 to 2009, he served as the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs. Currently, he is the governor of South Kordofan, which borders South Sudan, where a brutal counterinsurgency campaign is raging, most severely in the Nuba mountains. Haroun continued to serve as minister of state for humanitarian affairs (which is a post below the full ministerial level). In this role, Haroun oversaw Darfur's two million internally displaced persons. Aid agencies have accused him of hindering their efforts to bring relief to the displaced. It also appointed Haroun to be a member of its committee overseeing the United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), thus influencing the deployment of peacekeepers in Darfur.

As a result of the escalating crisis in the state of Abyei in the first week of 2011, the UN decided to fly Haroun to the province. He was seen as the only suitable mediator at the time. The ICC is not a part of the UN, but the UN promised to cooperate with the ICC, and the action chosen by the UN – although pragmatic – proved controversial.

Governor of South and North Kordofan In June 2011, Haroun defeated Abdelaziz al-Hilu of the SPLA to become the governor of South Kordofan in an election rejected by the SPLA as rigged.

On 12 July 2013 Haroun, along with the Governor of North Kordofan, resigned. In a presidential decree Omar al-Bashir reappointed Haroun as Governor of North Kordofan until 23 February 2019.

2019 arrest In April 2019, Haroun was arrested by local authorities in Sudan following the 2019 Sudanese coup d'état, which overthrew Omar al-Bashir. On 5 May 2020, he tested positive for COVID-19 and was subsequently placed in quarantine.

He escaped from Kobar Prison during the chaos of the civil war, and voiced support for the Sudanese Armed Forces.

In January 2024, the United States offered a $5 million reward for information leading to the capture of Ahmed Haroun. Haroun is portrayed by the US State Department as having recruited, financed and armed the sinister Janjaweed militia who participated in atrocities including murder, rape, torture, forced deportations and other inhumane treatment in Darfur in the 2000s.