CARMEL RICKARD: Dominic Ongwen — a victim-turned-killer
The sentencing of Ugandan warlord Dominic Ongwen raises questions around the culpability of child soldiers once they reach majority age
As I watched the International Criminal Court (ICC) giving judgment on Ugandan warlord Dominic Ongwen last week, the first thing that struck me was the emptiness of the courtroom.This was not, of course, due to lack of interest, but the empty seats seemed somehow appropriate. Perhaps they might represent the many people in the villages of northern Uganda listening to the proceedings by radio that morning? That’s where Ongwen and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rampaged during the decades that he fought with that rebel movement.Photographs on social media of these radio events were testimony to the ICC’s work in the affected communities, making them feel part of the process and keen for the verdict.Fanciful thoughts aside, however, the content of the judgment, read out by presiding judge Bertram Schmitt, was riveting. Convicting Ongwen on 61 of the 70 counts he faced, Schmitt’s bench did several noteworthy things.One was to name, wherever possible, the LRA’s victims in this matter. ...
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