The International Criminal Court has sentenced Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga to 14 years in prison for using child soldiers. The court in the Hague announced the penalty Tuesday, saying he is an educated individual who would have understood the “seriousness of the crimes.” Lubanga was found guilty of war crimes in March for recruiting and […]
ICC Sentences Congolese Warlord to 14 Years in Prison
ICC Sentences Congolese Warlord to 14 Years in Prison
The International Criminal Court has sentenced Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga to 14 years in prison for using child soldiers. The court in the Hague announced the penalty Tuesday, saying he is an educated individual who would have understood the “seriousness of the crimes.” Lubanga was found guilty of war crimes in March for recruiting and […]
Rwandan FM Denies Backing Mutinous Congolese Soldiers
Rwanda’s foreign minister strongly denies allegations by international experts that her country supports mutinous soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Louise Mushikiwabo calls the charge “disingenuous.” She says it reminds her of the rhetoric heard just before the 1994 Rwandan genocide of Tutsis. She told a United Nations meeting in New York Monday that […]
DRC Rebels Accused of Human Rights Violations
The U.N.’s top human rights official has singled out five leaders of a mutiny in the Democratic Republic of Congo, saying they may be among the worst perpetrators of human rights abuses in the world. In a Tuesday statement, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said the five men may be responsible for […]
ICC Mulls Sentence in DRC Child Recruiting Case
The International Criminal Court is considering the punishment for a Congolese warlord convicted of using child soldiers. ICC judges in The Hague began a sentencing hearing on Wednesday for Thomas Lubanga. The court’s top prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, has said he will seek “close to the maximum,” which ranges from 30 years to life. The ICC […]
UN Program Feeds Thousands of Displaced in DRC
The United Nations World Food Program is stepping up aid to thousands of people fleeing violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The WFP said Friday it provided a monthly food ration to nearly 20,000 newly-displaced people in the city of Beni, and warned that demand may grow if violence continues. The agency also […]
UN Program Feeds Thousands of Displaced in DRC
The United Nations Food Program is increasing aid to thousands of displaced people fleeing violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The WFP said Friday it fed nearly 20,000 more people from the DRC and host families in the city of Beni over the past month, and the agency expects the demand to grow if […]
DRC Says Close to Crushing Ntaganda Rebellion
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s government says it is close to ending a rebellion by soldiers loyal to Bosco Ntaganda, a militia leader wanted by the International Criminal Court. Information minister Lambert Mende told VOA Wednesday that the army had made significant advances and may soon crush the rebellion. “The army is advancing and they […]
ICC Rejects Arrest Warrant for Mudacumura for DRC Crimes
Judges at the International Criminal Court in The Hague have rejected a prosecutors’ request to issue an arrest warrant for a commander of a brutal Rwandan Hutu militia that has terrorized eastern Congo for years. In a written decision Thursday, the judges said that ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo’s May 15 request failed to provide […]
ICC Upholds Decision to Drop War Crimes Charges Against Rwandan
An International Criminal Court appeals chamber has upheld a ruling to drop war crimes charges against a Rwandan man. Callixte Mbarushimana faced eight counts of war crimes and five counts of crimes against humanity in connection with the rape, murder, and torture of civilians in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. But ICC judges ordered […]