ICC sentences Central African Republic rebel leaders to lengthy prison terms for war crimes

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - The International Criminal Court (ICC) sentenced two leaders of a rebel group in the Central African Republic (CAR) to more than 10 years in prison each Thursday after they were convicted of multiple charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona and Alfred Yekatom were found guilty of involvement in atrocities including murder and torture committed by a militia known as the Anti-Balaka during widespread attacks from September 2013 through February 2014 against Muslims in the capital Bangui and handed prison sentences of 12 years and 15 years, respectively.

They were accused of playing active roles as senior leaders in the Anti-Balaka, which engaged in bitter fighting with the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel group in 2013 and 2014.

The convictions were across multiple charges, including murder, attacks against a civilian population, forcible transfer, torture and other inhumane acts and persecution, the court said.

The Central African country has been embroiled in conflict since 2013, when mainly Muslim Seleka rebels ousted President Francois Bozize, prompting reprisals from mostly Christian militias.

Ngaissona, acting as the national general coordinator, was actively involved in planning steps to respond to the Seleka violence in the CAR and to ensure Bozize’s return to power.

At the same time, Yekatom, a former zone commander, with others formed the Anti-Balaka, that coordinated their activities against a common enemy, the Seleka.

The court found that throughout the relevant period, Yekatom retained and exercised full and unrestricted control over his group.

The court, however, said it did not find the relevant conflict in the CAR to have been of a religious nature at the outset.

Many witnesses, non-Muslims and Muslims alike, according to the judges, stated before the court that before the conflict, they lived together peacefully.

The trial opened in 2021, but the convicts maintained they were innocent.

In a statement, the office of the prosecutor of the ICC welcomed the judgment, saying the crimes attributed to the two are serious in all aspects, causing horrific and indelible consequences for the civilian population.

“This conviction is a strong message from the ICC that those responsible for atrocity crimes under the Rome Statute will be brought to justice and held to account. From the battlefield to the inner circles of power, there can be no impunity for crimes violating the most fundamental tenet of international humanitarian law – the protection of civilians,” said ICC Deputy Prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang.

The prosecution presented 115 witnesses, 75 of whom appeared before the Trial Chamber.