Latest news with #Central African Republic
Russia Today
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
ICC prosecutes African cases but ignores Western atrocities
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is losing legitimacy due to its failure to address ongoing global atrocities while continuing to prosecute decades-old African cases, geopolitical analyst and author Kim Heller has said. Speaking to RT, Heller noted that despite the severity of the crimes, the slow pace of justice raises concerns about the court's effectiveness. 'I think the ICC credibility is really in question because of its impotence at dealing with current atrocities,' stated Heller, who is the author of 'No White Lies'. Her remarks follow the ICC's July 24 sentencing of Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona and Alfred Yekatom – leaders of the Anti-balaka militias in the Central African Republic (CAR) – to 12 and 15 years in prison, respectively, for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed between 2013 and 2014. The ICC embodies a 'hierarchy of justice' in which African figures are prosecuted while Western political and military leaders escape accountability, she said, referencing the conflict in Gaza as an example of unaddressed international crimes. 'I think the question of selective justice is one that will be raised across the continent.' Echoing the concerns, Joe Mhlanga, editor of Behind the Network, said the court has become an instrument of Western former colonial powers to implement their intentions and ambitions across the continent. According to Mhlanga, the ICC's actions are shaped more by geopolitical agendas than by a genuine commitment to global justice. 'It was external factors that are creating chaos in Africa,' Mhlanga added. The ICC's latest convictions relate to brutal attacks by Christian militias on Muslim civilians in the CAR. Ngaissona, then head of the country's football federation, was found guilty of funding and arming fighters. Yekatom, a former parliamentarian, is said to have commanded an estimated 3,000 fighters and directed attacks in areas such as the capital, Bangui, and Lobaye. Both denied the charges. The case, launched in 2021, heard testimony from around 75 witnesses. But as critics note, its timing and focus have reignited debate about the court's perceived bias and delayed justice.
Russia Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
ICC jails former football chief for war crimes
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has sentenced the former chief of the Central African Republic (CAR) football federation, Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona, to prison after finding him guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Ngaissona was convicted alongside Alfred Yekatom, a rebel leader known as 'Rambo', during a ruling in The Hague on Thursday, with judges handing them prison terms of 12 and 15 years respectively. 'The convictions were across multiple charges, including murder, attacks against a civilian population, forcible transfer, torture and other inhumane acts, and persecution,' the court said in a press release. The charges relate to their roles as leaders of a Christian-dominated armed group called Anti-balaka (meaning 'anti-machete'), which carried out deadly attacks against Muslim communities in the Central African Republic between December 2013 and December 2014. Anti-balaka was formed in 2013 to counter the Muslim-majority Seleka coalition, which seized power after ousting then-President Francois Bozize. Prosecutors accused Ngaissona, also a former government minister, of supplying funds and weapons to Anti-balaka units operating in towns including Bossangoa, Gaga, and Berberati. Yekatom, a former parliamentarian, is said to have commanded an estimated 3,000 fighters and directed attacks in areas such as the capital, Bangui, and Lobaye. According to court documents, witnesses described his forces using grenades, machetes, and assault rifles in raids that terrorized Muslim civilians. Both men had pleaded not guilty when the trial opened in February 2021, after being extradited to The Hague. The ICC said it heard from around 75 witnesses, including victims and insiders from the armed groups. 'The Chamber found Mr Ngaissona and Mr Yekatom guilty beyond any reasonable doubt of a number of war crimes and crimes against humanity,' the court stated. The Central African Republic has experienced decades of militant violence and political insecurity, including six coups, since gaining independence from France in 1960. UN peacekeepers have been deployed under the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission (MINUSCA) since 2014, but rebel violence against the government has persisted.
Al Arabiya
5 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Central African Republic rebels found guilty of war crimes by ICC
International Criminal Court judges convicted two leaders of a predominantly Christian rebel group in the Central African Republic of multiple counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity on Thursday, sentencing each to more than a decade in prison. Former Central African Republic soccer federation president Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona and Alfred Yekatom, a rebel leader known as Rambo, were found guilty of their involvement in atrocities including murder, torture, and attacking civilians. The court sentenced Ngaïssona to 12 years and Yekatom to 15 years. The charges stem from their roles as senior leaders in a militia known as the anti-Balaka, which engaged in bitter fighting with the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel group in 2013 and 2014. The interreligious violence left thousands dead and displaced hundreds of thousands. Mosques, shops, and homes were looted and destroyed. Anti-Balaka forces attacked localities with Muslim civilians, killing and dislocating many of them,' Presiding Judge Bertram Schmitt said, reading out the verdict in The Hague. Malick Karomschi, president of the Muslim Organization for Innovation in the Central African Republic, a nongovernmental organization that supports victims of sexual violence, said that he's glad that justice has been served. 'We feared the worst–that they would be acquitted–so the fact that they were found guilty is already a good thing,' Karomschi told The Associated Press. The pair maintained their innocence during the trial, which opened in 2021. It was the first case at the global court to focus on the violence that erupted after the Seleka seized power in the Central African Republic in 2013. The country has been mired in conflict since rebels forced then President Francois Bozize from office. Anti-Balaka militias fought back, also targeting civilians and sending most of the Muslim residents of the capital Bangui fleeing in fear. The trial of an alleged Seleka commander, Mahamat Said Abdel Kani, is ongoing. Last year, judges at the court unsealed another arrest warrant in the investigation. According to prosecutors, Edmond Beina commanded a group of about 100–400 anti-Balaka fighters responsible for murdering Muslims in early 2014. Separate proceedings against Beina and five others at a specially-created court are slated to begin in the Central African Republic on Friday.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Central African Republic rebels found guilty of war crimes by International Criminal Court
International Criminal Court judges convicted two leaders of a predominantly Christian rebel group in the Central African Republic of multiple counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity on Thursday, sentencing each to more than a decade in prison. Former Central African Republic soccer federation president Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona and Alfred Yekatom, a rebel leader known as 'Rambo,' were found guilty of their involvement in atrocities including murder, torture and attacking civilians. The court sentenced Ngaïssona to 12 years, and Yekatom to 15 years. The charges stem from their roles as senior leaders in a militia known as the anti-Balaka, which engaged in bitter fighting with the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel group in 2013 and 2014. The interreligious violence left thousands dead and displaced hundreds of thousands. Mosques, shops and homes were looted and destroyed. Anti-Balaka forces 'attacked localities with Muslim civilians, killing and dislocating many of them,' Presiding Judge Bertram Schmitt said, reading out the verdict in The Hague. Malick Karomschi, president of the Muslim Organization for Innovation in the Central African Republic, a nongovernmental organization that supports victims of sexual violence, said that he's glad that justice has been served. 'We feared the worst — that they would be acquitted so the fact that they were found guilty is already a good thing.' Karomschi told The Associated Press. The pair maintained their innocence during the trial, which opened in 2021. It was the first case at the global court to focus on the violence that erupted after the Seleka seized power in the Central African Republic in 2013. The country has been mired in conflict since rebels forced then President Francois Bozize from office. Anti-Balaka militias fought back, also targeting civilians and sending most of the Muslim residents of the capital, Bangui, fleeing in fear. The trial of an alleged Seleka commander, Mahamat Said Abdel Kani, is ongoing. Last year, judges at the court unsealed another arrest warrant in the investigation. According to prosecutors, Edmond Beina commanded a group of about 100-400 anti-Balaka fighters responsible for murdering Muslims in early 2014. Separate proceedings against Beina and five others at a specially-created court are slated to begin in the Central African Republic on Friday. ___
France 24
5 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
ICC convicts pair over Central Africa war crimes
Ex-sports minister Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona was a senior leader of mainly Christian militias as the country slid into civil war, while Alfred Yekatom, a former MP, commanded them on the ground. The ICC sentenced Yekatom to 15 years behind bars for 20 war crimes and crimes against humanity including murder and torture. Ngaissona received a sentence of 12 years for 28 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Their militia, known as anti-Balaka or "anti-machete", were formed as vigilante self-defence groups after mainly Muslim rebels called the Seleka stormed the capital Bangui and removed then-president Francois Bozize, a Christian. Presiding judge Bertram Schmitt read harrowing details of the violence committed by the militia against suspected Seleka Muslims. Yekatom's men tortured one suspect by cutting off his fingers, toes, and one ear. This man's body was never found. Others were killed and then mutilated. Appearing in court dressed in a light brown suit and waistcoat, white shirt, and dark tie, Yekatom listened impassively as the judge read out the verdict. Dressed in a bright blue jacket, Ngaissona nodded to the judge as his sentence was delivered. The court found Yekatom not guilty of conscripting child soldiers and acquitted Ngaissona of the charge of rape. Both men had pleaded not guilty to all charges. Yekatom was extradited to The Hague in late 2018, after being arrested in the CAR for firing his gun in parliament. Ngaissona was arrested in France in December 2018 and extradited to The Hague. At the time he was head of the CAR football association and a board member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The Central African Republic is among the poorest nations in the world and has endured a succession of civil wars and authoritarian governments since independence in 1960. Violence has subsided in recent years but fighting occasionally erupts in remote regions between rebels and the national army, which is backed by Russian mercenaries and Rwandan troops.
