We shall not cater for Ongwen’s children - ICC
Ongwen’s relatives at their home in Coo-rom village in Lamgoi Sub-county. PHOTO BY JULIUS OCUNGI
What you need to know:
However, Ms Kamara said the ICC has a trust fund which has been providing interim assistance to victims of the LRA war but not their relatives. She said the ICC has established at least 18 projects in the region under the Victims Trust Fund
GULU.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) Field Outreach Coordinator for Kenya and Uganda, Ms Maria Mabinty Kamara, has rejected calls by relatives of indicted LRA commander Dominic Ongwen to cater for his children.
Ms Kamara was responding to a question during a press briefing in Gulu Town on Wednesday on whether the ICC would help Ongwen’s family. She said ICC can only, at an appropriate time under the rules of the court, facilitate the family to visit Ongwen at The Hague.
Ongwen is among the top five LRA commanders who were indicted by the ICC in 2005 for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Others are LRA leader Joseph Kony and his deputies: Vincent Otti, Okot Odhiambo, and Raska Lukwiya.
Ongwen, who surrendered early last month in Central African Republic (CAR), appeared in the dock at the ICC on January 26, where seven counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes were read against him.
His relatives had earlier asked the Uganda government and ICC to cater for his children.
One of his brothers, Mr Christopher Kilama, said the family was overwhelmed with the burden of taking care of Ongwen’s four children because they have their own.
However, Ms Kamara said the ICC has a trust fund which has been providing interim assistance to victims of the LRA war but not their relatives. She said the ICC has established at least 18 projects in the region under the Victims Trust Fund.
“Over 40 million people in the region benefited from the trust fund. Some of them were provided with microfinance, prosthetic, and plastic surgery, especially for mutilated victims,” said Ms Kamara.
She said Mr Ongwen’s relatives can only be assisted to visit him at The Hague at an appropriate time.
who is ongwen?
• Said to have been abducted by LRA, aged 10, as he walked to school in northern Uganda
• Rose to become a top commander
• Accused of crimes against humanity, including enslavement
• ICC issued arrest warrant in 2005
• Rumoured to have been killed in the same year
• US offered $5m (£3.3m) reward for information leading to his arrest in 2013
