Central African Republic hands war crime suspect to ICC

By Rodrigue Forku

YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AA) – The Central African Republic (CAR) has handed over a war crime suspect to the International Criminal Court (ICC), a court statement said.

Mahamat Said Abdel Kani is accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Bangui (CAR) in 2013, ICC said on late Sunday.

Peter Lewis, an ICC official, thanked the CAR authorities and the host state, The Netherlands, for their cooperation in the arrest and surrender of Said to the court.

“The duty to deliver justice lies with the state. Everything will be done to ensure that justice is rendered to the many victims of crimes committed in the Central African Republic both by national courts and by international courts in which the Central African Republic is a party,” CAR Prime Minister Firmin Ngrebada tweeted on Monday.

An ICC arrest warrant for Said was issued on Jan. 7, 2019, according to the statement.

A landlocked Central African country, CAR, plunged into a conflict in 2013 after a rebellion by Seleka, an alliance of rebel militia groups, ousted former President Francois Bozize. A transitional government was put in place to restore peace and security.

The violence allegedly led to thousands of deaths and left hundreds of thousands displaced.

On Sept. 24, 2014, ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda opened an investigation after the CAR government referred the cases to the ICC on May 30, 2014.

The ICC has another ongoing war crimes case against Alfred Yekatom and Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona. The trial is scheduled to open on Feb. 9, 2021, according to the ICC.​​​​​​​