LRA Rebel asks Uganda to Send him to the ICC for Trial

A notorious rebel commander accused of leading massacres against civilians in northern Uganda has asked for his trial to be transferred to the International Criminal Court, ICC.

Thomas Kwoyelo, faces “dozens of charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection with attacks by the Lord’s Resistance Army, LRA, between 1993 and 2005.”

He surrendered to the Ugandan army in 2009 and has complained at the slow progress of the trial which began four years ago and has been ”hampered by logistical challenges” and the coronavirus pandemic.

He rose to the rebel rank of colonel and is the first LRA commander to be tried in Uganda.

He made the request to go to the ICC as the second phase of his trial began at the International Crimes Division of the High Court in the capital, Kampala. Expert witness testimonies are expected to be heard.

Mr. Kwoyelo also wants to be ‘granted bail on health grounds,’ although his lawyers have not yet applied for it.

Last year, the ICC gave another LRA commander, Dominic Ongwen, a 25-year sentence for war crimes including murder and the recruitment of child soldiers.

“Of the five senior LRA leaders indicted by the ICC more than a decade ago, only Ongwen and LRA leader Joseph Kony, who is still on the run, remain alive.”

BBC /Shakirat Sadiq