The Central African Republic’s president and chief executive of a predominantly Christian rebel group were found guilty by the International Criminal Court in 2013 and 2014 for a string of war crimes committed against Muslim civilians.
Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona, the former head of the CAR Football Federation, and Alfred Yekatom, a rebel leader known as “Rambo,” were both found guilty on Thursday of their involvement in atrocities including killing, torturing, and attacking civilians.
Yekatom was given a 15-year sentence by the court for 20 war crimes and crimes against humanity.
For 28 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, Ngaissona was given a 12-year sentence.
The charges stem from their positions as senior members of the anti-Balaka militia, which was established in 2013 after predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels stormed Bangui in March that year and toppled then-Christian president Francois Bozize.
Taus of civilians were killed in the violence that followed, and thousands of others were displaced. Looted and destroyed were homes, businesses, and mosques.
In The Hague, presiding judge of the ICC Bertram Schmitt read harrowing details about the militia’s brutal treatment of suspected Seleka Muslims.
One suspect’s fingers, toes, and one ear were tortured by Yekatom’s men. The body of this man was never discovered. Others were murdered before being mutilated.
As the judge read out the verdict, Yekatom appeared in court wearing a light brown suit, waistcoat, white shirt, and dark tie.
Ngaissona nodded to the judge as his sentence was delivered while wearing a bright blue jacket.
The court acquitted Ngaissona of the rape charge and found Yekatom not guilty of conscripting young soldiers.
Both defendants had entered not guilty to all charges in the 2021 trial. The ICC’s first case, which started in May 2014, focuses on the riots that broke out after the Seleka seized control of the CAR in 2013.
After being detained in the CAR for allegedly firing his gun at parliament, Yekatom was later extradited to The Hague. In December 2018, Ngaissona was detained in France and given the Hague as a result.
Mahamat Said Abdel Kani, a alleged Seleka commander, is currently on trial.
Another arrest warrant was released by the ICC’s judges last year. Prosecutors claim that Edmond Beina was in charge of a group of roughly 100-400 anti-balaka fighters who killed Muslims in early 2014 under the leadership of Edmond Beina.
On Friday, separate legal proceedings against Beina and five others are scheduled to start in the CAR.
Since gaining its independence from France in 1960, the CAR has endured a number of authoritarian regimes and civil wars. It is one of the poorest countries in the world.
Source: Aljazeera
Leave a Reply