The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor has asked Sudan to hand over a key suspect accused of war crimes and genocide in Darfur.

Fatou Bensouda made the call to the authorities to hand over Ahmed Haroun, a key ally of ousted president Omar al-Bashir, to face trial along with a former militia leader accused of similar crimes.

The former Janjaweed leader Abd-Al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, handed himself over to the court last year.

Ms Bensouda, who spoke in Khartoum after concluding a visit to Darfur, noted the confirmation of charges against Ali Kushayb last week, adding that they “were against both himself and Ahmed Haroun” and should be tried together.

The conflict in Darfur began back in 2003 when armed groups there rebelled against the government, claiming their region was neglected.

Khartoum responded by arming Arab nomad herders, who became known as the notorious Janjaweed, and paying them to brutally supress the uprising.

The violence led to the deaths of 300,000 people and displaced more than two million people, according to the UN.

On Wednesday, Ms Bensouda told reporters that the ICC had held “positive” talks regarding the transfer of the former president, who is being held in prison in Khartoum, to face trial for charges including genocide.