Ugandan LRA rebel chief headed to The Hague to stand trial on war crimes

A commander of the notorious Lord’s Resistance Army who surrendered last week is on his way to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, a spokesman for the court said Tuesday. Dominic Ongwen is one of the main leaders of the Uganda rebels, who are accused of killing more than 100,000 people in a bloody rebellion that started in 1986. He gave himself up to U.S. special forces in the Central African Republic last week after being wanted for nearly a decade for crimes against humanity.

The affected communities will now be able to see the international court address the horrible violence taking place in Uganda.

Sidiki Kaba, president of the assembly of the ICC’s states parties

A former child soldier, Ongwen was a senior aide to LRA leader and warlord Joseph Kony, who is still at large and being pursued by regional troops and U.S. special forces. Ongwen’s surrender dealt a major blow to the LRA’s three-decade campaign across several central African nations. He has been sought by the ICC to face charges on crimes against humanity that also include murder, enslavement, inhumane acts and directing attacks against civilians. The U.S. will facilitate his transfer, even though it is not a signatory to the Rome Statue that established the ICC.

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