Congolese Warlord has voluntarily turned himself in

A mile stone in the history of justice was marked when the Congolese rebel leader Bosco Ntaganda turned himself in at the US embassy in Kigali, Rwanda. He asked to be sent to the International Criminal Court, where he faces charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Here is how Ntaganda looked during his first appearance before judges at the International Criminal Court in the Hague on March.

Ntaganda’s alleged crimes goes from recruiting and using child soldiers, murder, rape, sexual slavery, and ethnic persecution in eastern Congo in 2002 and 2003.

A 16-year-old boy, who was kidnapped on his way to school by rebel troops loyal to Ntaganda earlier in March 2013, told Human Rights Watch that Ntaganda had personally authorized the distribution of weapons and sent him to the front lines during the recent infighting between opposing factions of Ntaganda’s latest rebel group, the M23. Ten of his schoolmates who were also forcibly recruited died on the front lines.

The boy expressed relief about Ntaganda’s arrest, saying, “Now he can no longer come back to where I live and take me from school and take me to war.”

“The atrocities by forces under Bosco Ntaganda’s command have affected thousands of Congolese in eastern Congo for over a decade,” said Ida Sawyer, Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Their voices shine a light on how deeply these abuses scarred the nation and how important Ntaganda’s expected trial is for those who have been harmed and who seek justice.”

After over a decade with various rebel groups in eastern Congo, Ntaganda was integrated into the Congolese army as a general under a 2009 peace agreement. In 2012, Ntaganda led a mutiny and helped create a new Rwanda-backed rebellion, the M23, which battled Congolese and UN troops in eastern Congo until peace talks began in December. To read in detail click here.

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Source: Human Right Watch