Former CAR government minister appears in war crimes hearing at The Hague

The Hague — A former government minister from the Central African Republic (CAR) on Tuesday denied war crimes and crimes against humanity in a pretrial hearing to determine charges at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Maxime Jeoffroy Eli Mokom Gawaka’s lawyers told judges at the ICC that he played no part in directing the so-called anti-balaka militias in any of their violent attacks on Muslim civilians in 2013 and 2014. 

Prosecutors said Mokom was the main co-ordinator of the anti-balaka attacks that killed hundreds of Muslim civilians and forced thousands to leave their homes. 

“I absolutely deny having a part in any plan that involved the crimes that have been charged,” Mokom told the court.

The CAR has been mired in violence since a coalition of mostly northern and predominantly Muslim rebels known as Seleka, or “Alliance” in the Sango language, seized power in March 2013. Their dominance gave rise to the opposing anti-balaka mostly Christian militias.

The ICC has been investigating the violence in CAR since May 2014. There are already two ongoing trials before the court involving two other anti-balaka leaders and one Seleka leader.

Tuesday’s hearing was for prosecutors to prove there were substantial grounds to formally charge Mokom with 20 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity — including murder, extermination, deportation, torture and persecution — committed by militias that he supported and co-ordinated.

“He was the one who looked for ammunition, co-ordinated the deployment of anti-balaka in the prefectures and oversaw the attacks,” prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang said.

Mokom told the court he was a refugee stuck in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo for most of the period referenced in the charges. He added that the anti-balaka militias were demonised for political reasons and listed several alleged atrocities committed by rival Seleka groups. J

He was not required to enter a plea. Judges will issue a decision on the charges within 60 days of the end of the hearings. If they decide to confirm some or all of the charges against Mokom, the case will proceed to trial.

Reuters