ICC confirms war crimes charges against Uganda’s rebel leader Joseph Kony

The International Criminal Court confirmed 39 charges against Kony, paving the mode for a proceedings if helium is ever captured.

Judges astatine the International Criminal Court (ICC) person confirmed warfare crimes and crimes against humanity charges against Ugandan rebel person Joseph Kony, astir 2 decades aft the tribunal archetypal issued a warrant for his arrest.

Kony, who remains astatine large, faces 39 charges, including murder, intersexual enslavement and rape, making him the ICC’s longest-standing fugitive.

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Judges from the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber III said determination are “substantial grounds to judge that Mr Kony is criminally liable for the crimes” committed successful bluish Uganda betwixt 2002 and 2005, erstwhile helium commanded the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).

Besides crimes committed by his rebels, the judges said Kony could besides beryllium held liable for 10 crimes helium allegedly committed himself, linked to 2 women helium forced to go his wives.

“Mr Kony issued lasting orders to onslaught civilian settlements, termination and mistreat civilians, loot and destruct their spot and abduct children and women to beryllium integrated into the LRA,” the judges said successful their ruling.

The ruling marks the archetypal clip the ICC has confirmed charges successful a suspect’s absence, meaning the lawsuit tin formally proceed to proceedings if Kony is ever captured. Under ICC rules, a afloat proceedings cannot statesman without the defendant’s beingness successful court.

Prosecutors said efforts to way down and apprehension Kony, present 64, are ongoing.

Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) soldiers airs during bid negotiations betwixt the LRA and Ugandan spiritual and taste leaders successful Ri-Kwangba, confederate Sudan, successful 2008 [File: Reuters]

The ICC’s determination followed a three-day proceeding successful September successful which prosecutors and victims’ lawyers presented grounds and grounds without Kony contiguous – an antithetic process that acceptable the signifier for Thursday’s ruling.

Years of investigations and witnesser accounts formed the ground of the decision.

Emerging from bluish Uganda’s Acholi portion successful the precocious 1980s, Kony’s LRA combined Christian mysticism with an equipped rebellion against President Yoweri Museveni’s government.

The United Nations estimates astir 100,000 radical were killed and 2.5 cardinal displaced during the conflict.

Even aft being pushed retired of Uganda, LRA fighters launched deadly raids crossed South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic, burning villages, looting communities and abducting tens of thousands of children – the abducted boys forced to combat and girls forced into intersexual slavery.

Kony came backmost into planetary absorption successful 2012 erstwhile a viral video astir his crimes led to the #Kony2012 run connected societal media.

Despite the planetary attraction and years of subject operations to apprehend Kony, helium remains astatine large.