Dominic Ongwen (2ndR) heads to board a plane to Bangui on Friday for onward transfer to the ICC. Second left is Central Africa Republic representative Glaisian Kalengo, who received him. Extreme left is David Brown, the American Charge de Affairs in CAR , while extreme right is commander of UPDF troops in CAR Col Michael Kabango. PHOTO BY DPU

By FREDERIC MUSISI

IN SUMMARY

The crime. Maj Gen Ongwen will face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity

 Kampala.

The indicted senior Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commander, Maj Gen Dominic Ongwen, who surrendered early this month, was yesterday handed over to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for trial on war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The Central African Republic (CAR) state prosecutor, Mr Ghislain Grezengue, said on Friday that ICC officials were processing Ongwen’s transfer to The Hague, its headquarters, where he is indicted on seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Handed over
“I came back from Obo (in the east of CAR) where we went to get him from. We have already handed him over to ICC representatives, who will take him to the court tomorrow [Saturday],” Grezengue told Reuters on Friday.

A statement from the office of the UPDF Spokesman on Friday said the commander of the Ugandan troops in CAR, Col Michael Kabango, had handed over Maj Gen Ongwen to the acting RTF Force Commander, Col Mayen Garang. The statement said Col Garang in turn handed over Maj Gen Ongwen to representatives of the CAR government in Obo town, who would also forward him to ICC.

The UPDF statement also said the American Charge de Affairs in CAR David Brown witnessed Maj Gen Ongwen’s handover.

Earlier this week, the Uganda government said President Museveni had made wide consultations with the acting Chief Justice Steven Kavuma and other members of the judiciary and decided that Maj Gen Ongwen should be referred to the ICC for trial.

In 2003, Uganda petitioned the ICC to indict Maj Gen Ongwen, his former boss Joseph Kony and three other LRA senior commanders Vincent Otti, Raska Lukwiya and Okot Odhiambo for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Otti, Lukwiya and Odhiambo are said to be dead. Their arrest warrants were issued in 2005 but investigations in the mass atrocities committed by the rebels in Uganda, DR Congo, South Sudan and CAR have been going on since.

Foreign Affairs minister Okello Oryem early this week said whilst Uganda has the capacity to try Maj Gen Ongwen, the crimes against him were not only committed in northern Uganda during the two decades of the LRA insurgency but were also spread out to neighbouring states of DR Congo, South Sudan and CAR which requires international jurisdiction.

The background
Capture. Maj Gen Dominic Ongwen was captured on January 3 in the CAR jungles by the largely Muslim Seleka rebels in Kotétroi village, Sam Ouandja province, in the northeastern region of Haute Kotto. The rebels then handed him over to the American troops hunting the LRA in CAR on January 5.

Initial reports said Maj Gen Ongwen had surrendered but later the Seleka rebel leadership refuted the claim and insisted he had been captured after a 25–minute gun battle with their fighters.

Identification. The UPDF positively identified Maj Gen Ongwen but he remained in the custody of the American Special Forces until Thursday this week when the US government and African Union’s Regional Counter Task Force (AU-RTF), that are pursuing the LRA in CAR agreed to forward him to the ICC for trial.

musisif@ug.nationmedia.com