THE HAGUE: International Criminal Court judges on Monday convicted a Congolese rebel chief nicknamed “Terminator” of war crimes including horrific massacres of civilians, sexual enslavement and recruitment of child soldiers.
Former warlord Bosco Ntaganda becomes the first person to be convicted of slavery by the tribunal in The Hague, in a badly-needed boost for prosecutors after a string of high-profile failures.
Ntaganda stood expressionless as judges passed sentence on a man they called a “key leader” in atrocities in eastern DR Congo’s Ituri province in 2002-3, issuing “direct orders to target and kill civilians”. In one of their most gruesome attacks, his men disembowelled babies and children or crushed their skulls.
“Ntaganda rallied the troops prior to battle, he gave direct orders to the troops during operations, and he debriefed them afterwards,” head judge Robert Fremr declared.
Ntaganda was found guilty of 18 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, directing attacks against civilians, displacing civilians, rape, slavery and enlisting children under the age of 15.
Ntaganda, 45, who was born in Rwanda, will be sentenced after the court hears submissions from victims. Judges can give a life sentence.
He is only the fourth person to be convicted of war crimes by the ICC. The tribunal was set up in 2002 to try the world’s worst crimes but has been criticised for a series of prosecution failures and for focusing especially on African suspects.
BODIES ‘DISEMBOWELLED’
Rights groups said Ntaganda’s conviction would send a signal to other war crimes suspects.
“The long-awaited judgment provides an important measure of justice for Bosco Ntaganda’s victims and puts others responsible for grave crimes on notice,” said Maria Elena Vignoli of Human Rights Watch (HRW).
“But renewed violence in eastern Congo highlights the need to address the impunity for other abusive leaders.”
Ntaganda proclaimed his innocence throughout the trial, insisting that he was a “soldier not a criminal” and that the “Terminator” nickname did not apply to him. — AFP
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