LRA officer first victim of local war crimes court

Kampala

Former Lord’s Resistance Army rebel commander Thomas Kwoyelo was yesterday committed to the War Crimes Division of the High Court for trial on charges of crimes against humanity.

The War Crimes Division was created in 2008 after the Juba peace negotiations to try cases involving the LRA as an alternative to the International Criminal Court (ICC) which indicted five top commanders of the rebel group.

Kwoyelo was not one of them but the ICC indictment became a major stumbling block to the peace talks. Kwoyelo, who is facing 12 counts of willful killing, taking hostages, extensive destruction of property and causing serious injury to people, was sent to the War Crimes Court by Buganda Road Court Chief Magistrate Vincent Mugabo.

Kwoyelo becomes the first suspect to be committed to the War Crime Court.
He was captured in Garamba Forest in the Democratic Republic of Congo in March 2009.

No plea
The presiding magistrate did not allow Kwoyelo to plead to the charges because his court has no jurisdiction over the case. According to the record before court, Kwoyelo is charged under the Geneva Convention.

Prosecution told court that the Director of Public Prosecution is ready to bring evidence to show that Kwoyelo violated international law and national law when he reportedly commanded an attack that led to the death of several unarmed civilians in northern Uganda.