DRC ex-militia leader charged
2006-08-28 18:51
The Hague - The International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor has formally charged a former Democratic Republic of Congo militia leader with enlisting children and forcing them to fight in the country's 1998-2003 war, said the court on Monday.
If the charges are confirmed at a hearing on September 28, Thomas Lubanga Dyilo will be the first individual to be brought before an international court solely on the basis of these crimes, said the ICC.
Lubanga was president of the Union des Patriotes Congolais (UPC) and was the commander-in-chief of its former military wing, the Forces Patriotiques pour la Libération du Congo (FPLC).
From July 2002, when the courts jurisdiction began, and throughout 2003, FPLC commanders enlisted and forcibly recruited boys and girls under 15 and used them to participate actively in hostilities in the Ituri district, with Lubanga co-ordinating the process, said the court.
Chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said: "Regardless of the outcome of the proceedings, this case represents a huge step in the struggle against these serious crimes against children."
On-the-ground investigation work
"Child conscription destroys the lives and futures of thousands of children around the world.
"This case will contribute to exposing the problem and in stopping these criminal practices."
More than 30 000 children were associated with the FPLC at the height of the conflict, some as young as 10 years old, said deputy prosecutor Fatou Bensouda.
"It is the view of the office of the prosecutor that abuses on child soldiers have had impunity for too long."
The case against Lubanga Dyilo represents almost two years of intense on-the-ground investigation work by the office of the prosecutor, with scores of missions to the DRC producing multiple statements.