After Lubanga, ICC vows to go after other DRC warlords

Still basking in the glow of the International Criminal Court’s first ever conviction in the landmark casse against Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, chief prosecutor Moreno-Ocampo said will visit to Democratic Republic of Congo to thank President Joseph Kabila for his commitment and support for the case, and also seek for the immediate arrest of other indicted Congolese. Buoyed by the conviction of Lubanga, which will allow the Argentinean international lawyer to exit the ICC with his head held high, he declared that it was “a victory for humanity,” adding that he will ask for a prison term that is close to the maximum 30 years. The landmark ruling on Wednesday has given the ICC a lease of life as it was its first conviction in its 10-year existence and has blunted criticism that it was perhaps not quite up to the task. Lubanga was found guilty of recruiting children to fight in his militia in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 2002 and 2003. A separate sentencing hearing for Lubanga will be held at a date to be announced. The ICC can try cases involving individuals charged with war crimes committed since July 2002. The DRC is one of seven situations under investigation by the Court, along with Central African Republic (CAR), Côte d’Ivoire, the Darfur region of western Sudan, Libya, Uganda and Kenya.“The judges have decided that on 18 April the parties have to present their general views on reparation,” Moreno-Ocampo, said in The Hague, where the court is based. “On the same day, the prosecution will also present its request for punishment. The question here is: what is the proper retribution for someone who has forever affected the lives of so many children.”He paid tribute to the witnesses in the trial who he said had the courage to transform their painful experiences during the conflict in DRC’s Ituri region into evidence. “We know how they struggled each night to overcome their past, to move on from horrors they suffered,” he said. Moreno-Ocampo retires from the ICC in June this year after an 8-year tenure that was, until Wednesday, was dismissed as largely lacklustre. Indeed, the confirmation of charges against four Kenyan top leaders was the highlight of his career. But his fortunes seem to have lately turned; after the charges of crimes against humanity confirmed against Kenyan Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, prominent politician William Ruto, a former head of the civil service and career diplomat, Francis Muthaura, and radio journalist Joshua Sang. The court rejected their appeal and sent them to full trial.In a related development, a team from Moreno-Ocampo’s office is expected at next week’s regional meeting to strategise on how to combat the notorious Lord’s Resistance Army led by its self-styled leader Joseph Kony. The rebel group earned itself infamy for its atrocities in Uganda, which in recent years it has extended to neighbouring countries.

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After Lubanga, ICC vows to go after other DRC warlords