Former LRA commander denies brutal war crimes
The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor says former child soldier Dominic Ongwen grew to be a vicious fighter and must answer for his crimes
The Hague— Child soldier-turned-warlord Dominic Ongwen was known as a "ferocious and enthusiastic" rebel fighter, the International Criminal Court (ICC) heard on Tuesday, as he became the first-ever member of Uganda’s brutal Lord’s Resistance Army to go on trial. "Dominic Ongwen became one of the most senior commanders in the LRA ... following rapid promotion for his loyal fighting and ferocity," ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said. "He did so by his enthusiastic adoption of the LRA’s violent methods and through demonstrations that he could be more active and more brutal" than others, Bensouda told the court. SA, Gambia and Burundi are in the process of withdrawing from the ICC. Amid accusations of bias against Africa, Kenya, Namibia and Uganda have also indicated they are considering pulling out of the Rome Statute, the ICC’s founding treaty. Russia, an ICC signatory, has withdrawn its support for the court. The son of Ugandan teachers, Ongwen was abducted as a child while on ...
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