Men røster i og udenfor DR Congo advarer om, at der er flere som ham og at de fortsat er på fri fod – samtidig er der frygt for hævn efter dommen.
NAIROBI, 14 March 2012 (IRIN) – A ruling by the International Criminal Court (ICC) finding former Congolese rebel leader Thomas Lubanga guilty of conscripting (tvangsudskrive) child soldiers in northeastern DR Congo’s Ituri region is good news in the fight against impunity (straffrihed) but more crimes there should be prosecuted, say analysts.
Lubanga had been indicted (tiltalt) by the ICC for conscripting child soldiers in Ituri between 2002 and 2003 while serving as leader of the Union des patriotes congolais (UPC) militia in the a gold-rich region.
The UPC claimed to be acting on behalf of the ethnic Hema population in Ituri during the armed conflict that pitted them against the Lendu ethnic group between 1999 and 2003.
It is the court’s first verdict since it was set up 10 years ago. He will be sentenced at a later hearing. The prosecution accused him of using children as young as nine as bodyguards and fighters.
In a unanimous decision, the three judges said evidence proved that as head of the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC) and its armed wing, Lubanga bore responsibility for the recruitment of child soldiers under the age of 15 who had participated actively on the frontline.
Lubanga, who was arrested in 2005, has the right to appeal against the guilty verdict on all three war crimes charges.
He could face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The court cannot impose the death penalty.
“Good news”
“Finding him (Lubanga) guilty is good news for DR Congo and for the people of Ituri. It shows that impunity can be stopped and is not tolerated by the international community,” Marc Andre Lagrange, a senior analyst for central Africa with the International Crisis Group, told IRIN.
Regarding concerns that Lubanga’s supporters may strike out in revenge against the court’s decision, Lagrange said, adding:
“The UPC is no longer a militia group; it is also not so powerful as a political party nowadays.”
In 2011, for example, Lagrange noted that General Kisembo, a former UPC general, had been killed during his arrest by the DR Congo army, the FARDC, in Bunia, “showing that Kinshasa will not tolerate any more rebellions in Ituri”.
Lagrange added that “the condemnation of Lubanga is a strong reminder that Bosco Ntaganda (Lubanga’s successor at the UPC), is still acting freely as a FARDC general in Goma.”
Ntaganda has also been indicted by the ICC for war crimes in Ituri and human rights activists are calling for his prosecution.
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http://www.irinnews.org/Report/95073/DRC-Lubanga-verdict-a-first-step
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