Court hears DRC war crimes suspect drugged child soldiers
Victims’ lawyer tells International Criminal Court that Ntaganda conducted a reign of terror in 2002 and 2003
Former Congolese warlord Bosco Ntaganda plied child soldiers in his rebel army with drugs and alcohol before sending them to murder his enemies, the International Criminal Court (ICC) heard on Wednesday. A lawyer representing 283 victims in the case said Ntaganda was "directly involved in the recruitment of thousands of children" in his forces, which conducted a reign of terror in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2002 and 2003. Afterwards Ntaganda used child soldiers "to participate, under the spell of alcohol and drugs ... to kill, rape and pillage the enemy", said lawyer Sarah Pellet. Judges at the Hague-based ICC are listening to a second day of closing statements in the case against the man nicknamed "The Terminator". Prosecutors say Ntaganda’s army ravaged the mineral-rich Ituri region more than 15 years ago. He faces 13 counts of war crimes and five counts of crimes against humanity for his role in the conflict. The alleged crimes include murder, rape, se...
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