Tens of thousands of victims of Ugandan militia commander Dominic Ongwen should get a total of EUR 52 million (USD 56.29 mln) in compensation, International Criminal Court judges ruled on Wednesday, in a record reparations order.
Judges said Ongwen, a former child-soldier who rose through the ranks to become one of the top commanders of the notorious Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), did not have the resources to pay the compensation himself. Instead they asked the tribunal’s own Trust Fund for Victims to help cover the cost.
Led by fugitive warlord Joseph Kony, the LRA terrorized Ugandans for nearly 20 years as it fought the government of President Yoweri Museveni from bases in northern Uganda and neighboring countries. The militia has been largely wiped out, but Kony remains one of the ICC’s most wanted fugitives.
Ongwen was convicted to 25 years in prison in 2021 on 60 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including rape, murder and child abduction. He is currently serving his sentence in Norway.📺 Live now: #ICC judges deliver the order for reparations to victims in the #Ongwen case.
— Int'l Criminal Court (@IntlCrimCourt) February 28, 2024
➡️ ICC website: https://t.co/CFlXNeI0MB (Courtroom 1)
➡️ Facebook: https://t.co/RPpcfhPqi9
📖 Case info: https://t.co/la4zloRCMQ pic.twitter.com/CqsnAEX0dn
Led by fugitive warlord Joseph Kony, the LRA terrorized Ugandans for nearly 20 years as it fought the government of President Yoweri Museveni from bases in northern Uganda and neighboring countries. The militia has been largely wiped out, but Kony remains one of the ICC’s most wanted fugitives.
Source: Reuters
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