Dominic Ongwen the vicious Lord’s Resistance Army -LRA Commander convicted for atrocities in 2004 has finally faced his ruling at the International Criminal Court.
Ogwen was convicted on Thursday afternoon of 61 out of the 70 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes he faced.
The former LRA commander who was nicknamed ‘White Ant ‘for his ruthless attributes was the only surviving member of six others who were taken to the ICC for crimes against humanity in northern Uganda in 2005.
However , he is the first member of the LRA to appear before the court. Joseph Kony, who is the leader of the rebel group remains at large and is a subject of an ICC arrest warrant.
The group tortured, cut off lips, initiated child soldiers, raped, looted, and killed people at the Lukodi, Pajule, Odek, and Abok refugee camp in northern Uganda among other places like Oyam districts killing, among other crimes committed by the insurgents in 2004.
In his defense at the ICC Ogwen told the court that he was not directly responsible for the crimes committed to people in northern Uganda as he was abducted by Kony’s rebels as a child on his way to school and trained into the evil acts.
The presiding judge Bertram Schmitt however said: “His guilt has been established beyond any reasonable doubt.”
The chamber did not find evidence that supported the claim by the defense that Dominic Ongwen suffered from any mental disease or disorder during the period relevant to the charges, or that he committed these crimes under duress.”
Ongwen’s sentence will be read to him at a later date and it could be life imprisonment.
